Good Things Come
by Mattiewilda
Summary: Sequel to Where You Least Expect It. Angela and Eric continue to navigate their relationship and their lives as new parents while Shawn works to rid himself of his past baggage as his wedding approaches. Jack and Rachel strive to build their family and Cory and Topanga try to find the beauty in imperfection.
1. Chapter 1

_Here it is, the long...I'm not going to say awaited...but the long promised sequel to **Where You Least Expect It**. I didn't expect it to take nearly six months to start putting this out, but I suppose pneumonia and real life will do that. And also, I'll admit, there was a little bit of self imposed pressure and A LOT of nerves involved. After all, how does one even begin to live up to a story that spans 130 chapters and is longer than **War and Peace**?_

 _If there are any new readers coming across this story first and you're asking if you need to read **Where You Least Expect It** to even understand this? As much as I hate to say it...things will be extremely confusing without knowing that story ahead of time. I don't want to make this too long so if any reader, longtime or new, has any questions or needs a refresher on a plot point please feel free to send me a private message. I'm always more than happy to answer any questions you may have._

 _This is also where I put the little disclaimer that this has absolutely nothing to do with **Girl Meets World**. I began **Where You Least Expect It** long before the show's debut. It's funny, my story wasn't originally considered AU, just a what-if continuation. Now with **GMW** , I suppose it has become AU. _

_Now onto the actual story, lol. I've skipped ahead a little bit, but not too much. Timeline wise in relation to **Boy Meets World** we are now 9-10 years after the show ended and it is February 2010. I'm going to try to keep things moving at a good pace. I don't think this will be 130 chapters, but I hope you'll find it worth reading._

 _Enjoy. :-)_

* * *

"I'm a terrible father." Eric buried his face in his mother's shoulder. "Seriously, who decided I should be in charge of another human life? That person should be fired!"

"Eric, no, you're not a terrible father." She wrapped her arm around him. "You are a very good father."

"I dented my kid's head. Which part of that makes me good?"

"Technically Georgia has a bump, not a dent."

"A bump is better?"

Amy bounced her fussy granddaughter in her other arm. It had been a very long morning and she assumed the baby was probably ready for a bottle and her nap. "A bump is a bump. Babies, kids- they all get bumps on their heads at some point. The real miracle is that it took this long."

"How many get hurt because their daddies whacked their soft, Nerf ball heads against the handle on the freezer door?"

"Probably more than you'd think." She certainly received quite a scare when she got the frantic call from her son before seven. He had been in hysterics- she could barely make out a word he was saying- and Georgia was screaming in the background. Instead of trying to make sense of things over the phone, she rushed over to their house- reaching it in record speed, probably breaking several traffic laws in the process.

Once there she managed to piece together what happened. She did her best to reassure Eric that the baby was fine, especially since she was alert and crying, but he wouldn't relax until Georgia was looked over by a doctor. They spent a few hours in the emergency room and, like Amy predicted, received a clean bill of health for the little patient. She'd have a lovely bump and bruise on her noggin for a bit, but otherwise she would be okay. "Here," she said, handing Georgia over.

Eric froze. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to the kitchen to see if her bottle is warm. She's tired and hungry."

"Are you sure leaving her with me is a good idea? I'm the idiot that broke her."

"Eric, you didn't-"

"Why did this have to happen on my watch? Not that I'd want anything to happen while Angela had her because I'd know she'd never forgive herself...but why couldn't it have been while you and dad were baby-sitting?"

"Thank you very much."

"You know what I mean." He looked down when Georgia rubbed his face, patting the several days' worth of stubble. "You still love daddy?"

"Of course she does. What kind of question is that?"

"I don't know, mom, if you bashed my head in, I wouldn't be too crazy about you."

"It was an accident. You said yourself she was wiggling and flailing around when you were getting something out of the fridge. It could've happened to anybody."

"I know, I just...I can still hear the smack of her head hitting and then her cries. I never heard her wail like that before." He shook her head. "I'd pay anything to have those sounds erased from my mind."

"Unfortunately this is all part of being a parent. Don't you remember that talk we had before she was born? I told you about dad and I leaving you home when we thought you were in the car with us? Then about the time we locked Josh in the car? Oh and then when Morgan rolled off the couch on me and your dad tossed Cory up in the air and hit his head on the ceiling fan? Thank goodness that fan was off."

"Yeah, I remember the stories. It's a wonder any one of us survived."

"Eric..."

"I know, mom, I know- normal part of the parenting package." He rubbed the baby's back when she put her head down on his shoulder.

"If her first injury didn't happen today it would've happened later. At least now you can talk Angela through it when it happens to her."

"It sort of did last week. Her fingers got squished a bit by the cabinet door on Angela's nightstand. She didn't cry much, I think she was more startled than anything else. We were both in the room, it just happened so fast. She's a speedy little crawler. We didn't panic because we didn't want to scare her."

"So that's why you had dad over to help you finish up all the baby-proofing," she concluded.

"Yeah."

"Well, despite the pinched fingers and bumps on the head I'd say she is still one of the luckiest babies around."

"Why, because her dad has enough pull to get her seen immediately in the emergency room? I mean, obviously if there are no bloody wound, gaping hole, or broken bone emergencies ahead of us that is. And obviously head injuries have first dibs, too."

Amy grimaced at his descriptions. "No, I meant she is so loved. I'd be hard pressed to find a child as loved and adored as our Georgia."

"What about those royal babies everyone always makes a fuss over? My kid's way cuter, but no one's volunteered to throw her a parade."

"Stop arguing with everything I say." She smiled at her granddaughter. The baby's head was still on her father's shoulder, but she had the collar of Eric's button-down flannel clenched in a tight fist and was chewing on it, a sleepy expression on her face. "Your daddy is so silly, little girl. And grandma is going to get your bottle so you don't have to resort to eating clothes." She kissed the baby's forehead before placing a kiss on her son's cheek. "Do you want anything from the kitchen while I get the bottle?"

"Got any cookies?"

"Have there ever _not_ been any cookies in this house?"

She had him there. "Can I have chocolate milk, too?"

"I'll even give it to you in your old Batman cup with a silly straw."

"Thanks, mommy."

"You're welcome."

Once they were alone Eric focused all of his attention on his daughter. Georgia seemed perfectly happy bouncing in his lap and gnawing on his collar. She was teething. He could see her two bottom teeth beginning to poke through her gums. As a result, she was putting anything she could get her hands on in her mouth to relieve the pressure. He lifted her up away from him slightly. She whined in protest at first, but smiled when they were face to face and reached out to touch his cheeks with drool covered hands. "Most people would think this is gross. You're lucky I know you.

"I'm so sorry about this morning. Daddy would never purposely hurt you. You know that, right? You know I love you more than anything?" Georgia made some gurgling sounds. He pretended they were in response to him instead of her usual babbles. Eric caught a glimpse of the goose egg on the side of her head. It wasn't nearly as big as it was earlier, but definitely noticeable. The bruise was an ugly shade of purple and made him cringe. Angela was going to kill him. The main reason she felt comfortable enough to go to New York for work was because she believed Georgia would be safe with him. He let her down.

Before he could stress too much about all the ways Angela could react he found himself nose to nose with his daughter. She'd pressed her forehead against his and every time he blinked she giggled like mad. "What's so funny, you goofball?" Her laughter was contagious and soon he wasn't sure which of them was getting the most out of the moment. When he blew a raspberry on her chin Georgia let out those big, baby belly laughs. It was, by far, Eric's favorite sound. "Is that funny, huh? Yeah, daddy's good at being silly. Some days I think it might be all I'm- ow!" She bit down on his nose…hard. Her new teeth were like little razors. "Okay…I deserved that for this morning." He moved his head back when she went to do it again. "Mom," he called out, "where's that bottle?"

/

/

"Just a second," Angela called out. She knew it was Shawn. He'd been meeting her at the hotel every day before they walked to grab coffee and head over to the fashion shows. Normally she's in the lobby by the time he gets here. This morning, however, she was running a little behind. "Hi, come on in."

He closed the door and watched as she tried to walk and pull her heeled boot on at the same time. It was amusing, but they did have to leave. "Call me crazy, but wouldn't that be easier if you were sitting?"

"I just want to make sure I have everything together. I'm multi-tasking!"

Shawn noticed she was distracted and slightly uncoordinated, words he would not normally use to describe her. "Someone partied a little too hard with the models last night, didn't they?" They'd both been invited out after the shows for dinner, drinks, and dancing at some of the after parties. He declined. It seemed there were parties every night and he already had dinner plans with Naomi's parents- a move his fiancée yelled at him for later. It was humorous watching her pout and stomp around the apartment after they returned home, going on about how they could've had dinner with her parents any time. Angela, however, accepted. She'd been going out with them the last couple nights. Then again she did spend several years living overseas and was actually friends with some of these people. He wasn't.

"I'm not hung over."

He chuckled. "Famous last words."

"I'm not," she insisted. "I just drank more than I have in a _long_ time...pre-finding out I was pregnant long." She finally gave into the slight spinning in the room and sat down to finish putting on her shoes. At least she wasn't nauseous. "I needed a little distraction last night. I forgot what it was like hanging out with that crowd. I can't keep up anymore, at least not like I used to. That's all."

Shawn retrieved a bottle of water from the hotel room fridge. "Here."

"Thanks."

"Why did you need a distraction?"

"I've been away from my baby for five days...wait, today's day six. I thought I was handling it okay, but..." Angela shook her head and sank back into the couch. "...I'm so not." She did her best not to cry. There wasn't time to do her makeup again. "The first couple nights were fine. I was able to keep busy and distracted with the articles until it was time for bed. And then the night before last...at what age does it become embarrassing to admit you cried yourself to sleep?"

"Seventy-one years, eight months, and four days. Until then you're fine."

She wasn't expecting him to actually answer and laughed. "What?"

"I have no idea. That's the first number that came to my head."

"It's so oddly specific." She sipped her water. "I'm sorry. I'm sure I sound like a nut."

"For what it's worth, you don't have anything to worry about. Don't get me wrong, if we were talking about ten or fifteen years ago Eric I'd think you were insane for leaving him alone with sea monkeys let alone a baby, but he's not that guy anymore. He's a good dad and-"

"This has nothing to do with Eric," she exclaimed. "There is no one I trust with Georgia more. How could you think I'd be worried about leaving her with her daddy?"

"I didn't mean it as a knock against him."

"It sure sounded like it. He is an excellent father."

"I know. I'm sorry. Why else would you be worried if not about Eric and Georgia?"

Angela touched the small letter _G_ charm that hung from the chain around her neck. Eric had given it to her the day their daughter was born and she promptly attached it to the necklace he had given her for their first Valentine's day together. "I miss her, that's all. This is a million times more difficult than I thought it would be and I was already expecting it to suck. And I miss Eric, too. Sleeping alone is weird. Sorry, you're probably the wrong person for me to say that to."

He shrugged off her apology. "I have trouble sleeping whenever I go out of town on a job or when Nomi goes to White Plains to work on her wedding dress. I get it. Why don't you just Skype with her and Eric. This way she can see you."

"We tried that the first night. Georgia was happy until she realized I was just a face and voice on the screen and not really in the room. After that she was inconsolable."

"That bites."

"Eric sets it up when she's occupied and I watch very quietly."

"How often do you watch her sleep?"

She picked up her phone and showed Shawn her current wallpaper: Georgia dozing on one of her play mats. "How did you know?"

"I know _you_."

"Eric's driving up tomorrow."

"Good. You only need to get through one more night."

"Do you think Georgia will hate me? What if she thinks I abandoned her, that mama's gone and never coming back?"

"No offense, but Georgia's a baby. I think you're giving her too much credit."

"She knows I'm not there right now to get her when she cries."

"You will be tomorrow."

"It would kill me if I, for even a moment, made her feel how Joyce made me feel when I was a kid. I don't ever want Georgia to think her mother isn't there for her."

"Angela, you're not Joyce. You're never going to be Joyce. You-you're a great mom. Take it from a fellow member of the _'life stuck me with crap parents'_ club."

"There's an official club?"

"Well…no, but even if there was Georgia would never qualify for membership." He frowned. "Does that make sense or help at all?"

"Yes, thank you." She sighed. "You want to hear the craziest part?"

"I'm almost afraid to ask, but sure."

"I'm actually having fun here and have really enjoyed it."

"Really?"

"Yeah, when I'm out there in the middle of work and hanging out with friends it's great. It's just later when I have time to think…"

"There's your problem. Stop thinking. Be more like Eric."

"Tread very carefully before you say anything else, Hunter," she warned. For as much as she had embraced the mama bear protectiveness she felt towards her daughter, Angela also felt just as protective of Eric. She especially hated it when someone implied he wasn't as smart or didn't use his brain. It really bothered her in the moments Eric seemed to share their notions. He was simply a creative thinker, someone who thought outside the box. She appreciated his outlook on life. Life with Eric would never be dull.

"I'm joking." Shawn checked the time on his phone. "We should probably go before we're beyond fashionably late."

"Right." Angela stood to get her purse and coat. "I still feel like a crazy person who's too attached to her baby, but thanks for listening. I'll be sure to return the favor when you and Naomi have kids."

He stopped in his tracks. "I'll definitely hold you to that, but years in the future. You'll be sending Georgia to kindergarten before that happens, maybe even first or second grade."

"What does Naomi have to say about that?"

"Uh, well…I…" When they spoke of children, it was still in general terms- in that far off place known as the future. Though Naomi had been dropping hints that she may want a kid sooner rather than later. He blamed their families and friends for this. Their fridge was littered with recent birth announcements. Surely it could be considered a form of peer pressure!

"That's what I thought. I'll save you some of Georgia's stuff in case you have a girl," she teased.

"Be nice to me. I was going to offer to buy you a breakfast sandwich to go with your coffee so you don't reach the puke stage of hangover-land."

"I'm sorry. You know, if you wait long enough Georgia would be able to babysit for free."

"That's the kind of talk that gets you two breakfast sandwiches."

/

/

"Georgia's finally out. I don't get how being overtired makes a baby fight sleep more. You'd think they would fall asleep faster."

"You're asking for a logical response for something a baby does? Babies aren't logical. They're the opposite. Babies are weird."

Eric came down the stairs and took a seat at the kitchen table. "What's weird is putting my kid to bed in my old room."

"I think it's nice."

"Definitely not something I ever pictured when that room was mine though."

"I thought you were going to try to take a little nap before heading back home, too."

"I tried, but no luck."

"Overtired and fighting sleep like your daughter," Amy asked with a smile.

"More like I'm wondering how pissed Angela is going to be when she sees Georgia's head."

"Honey, it was an accident. Angela will understand."

"I don't know, mom, she gets…I can't even explain it. When she thinks Georgia's in trouble or even if her cries hit a certain pitch something in Angela changes. It's primal, like watching one of those nature channel specials where the mother lions protect their cubs no matter what. You wouldn't get it."

"You're right. I don't know a thing about protective mothers," she deadpanned.

"Mom…"

"Eric, it's going to be okay. Yes, maybe she'll be upset at first because no one likes to see their child hurt or injured in any way, but if you just explain to her what happened-."

"-so keeping Georgia in a hat and trying to hide it until the bruise fades won't work?"

"Do _not_ do that."

"I wasn't going to." That doesn't mean he didn't think about it. "It wouldn't work anyway. Georgia has a low tolerance for wearing anything on her head. She'd rat me out in no time." He rubbed his eyes. "This whole week has been so long without Angela, but I felt like I was getting the hang of the dad thing. At the start of the week- when she'd cry- Georgia would look past me and I knew she was searching for her mom. The last day or two she stopped looking around and was happy to have me comfort her. I almost felt like I knew what I was doing."

"You do."

"No." Eric put his arms on the table before laying his head down. "I don't know anything. People who know what they're doing don't bang their baby's head into the freezer."

"It was an accident," she reiterated. "Please remember that."

"I like to think I'll figure it all out one day but...I swear, when I grow up I-"

Her eyebrows shot up. " _When_? Honey, I don't know how to break this to you, but you _are_ a grown up."

"You take that back!"

"You have a successful career, own a home, you're in a committed relationship with someone you love who loves you in return, and are a devoted father to Georgia. I'm not even going to mention the fact that you just turned thirty-two."

"Well, I..." He sat up. "…this adult stuff just sneaks up on you, doesn't it? I definitely don't feel like a grown up."

"You want to know a secret?"

"What?"

"Most of the time I don't either. My body may be fifty-something, but in my mind I still feel nineteen. And there are days I'm just as clueless about life now as I was then."

Eric looked at his mother, eyes wide. "What are you talking about? You and dad have always known exactly what to do."

"Oh, honey, we've been making it up as we go all these years. Most of the time we've tried to make it up in five year plans because of you kids, but-"

"You've been winging it all this time?"

"Yes. Some days we're just better at hiding it than others."

"Does this mean there's not one day when a switch flips and everything makes sense and you know what to do? 'Cause I've kind of been counting on that."

"Sorry to burst your bubble."

"Is that what being an adult means? You don't suddenly know exactly what to do. You just get better at faking it?"

"That and paying bills."

"What a gyp."

"Pretty much."

The silence was only momentary. It wasn't long before Georgia began to cry, alerting her father and her grandmother that her nap would be more like a cat nap. "Whatever it is that keeps her going, give me a double of that, please," Eric said as he stood.

"I can get her."

"No, it's okay. I think we'll head home. Maybe Georgia wants to be in her own crib."

Amy followed him up the stairs and to the room that used to be occupied by him and Cory, and then later by Morgan. She stood in the doorway and watched as Eric lifted the baby from the portable crib and, after doing a seemingly automatic diaper check sniff test, held her close and paced back and forth until she was quiet. She thought she heard him saying something, but it was muffled. Amy wasn't sure if he was talking or singing a song. "You may not think you know what you're doing, but I believe Georgia would argue with you."

"Maybe. So, you know a thing or two about parents and protective moms, right?"

"A little. I have been a member of the parent club for thirty-two years."

"Is that anything like _Fight Club_?"

"It smells worse and there's a lot more blood."

"Would Angela be upset if I drove up early? The plan was for me and Georgia to go up there tomorrow night and spend the last few days in New York with her. She wanted to save showing off the baby to her friends for when the days were less hectic."

She smiled. "No, I don't think she'd be upset. I think she'd be wonderfully surprised."

"Once she can get over the bruise on Georgia's head?"

"Well…yes."

He nodded. "Maybe I'll practice my explanation and apology on the baby during the drive."

"All you need is the truth."

"How about it, Georgia, do you want to go surprise mama?" He'd swear her head popped up off his shoulder in reaction to the question.

" _Ooo-booey-arg_!"

"Sure," Eric began, laughing at both the babbles and the look on his daughter's face. It could only be described as determined. It was the same look she had whenever she was in the middle of learning something new. He saw a lot of that face while she was determined to crawl. "We'll pretend that has something to do with mama. Let's go get mama!"

/

/

"Evan, do you know where daddy put the box of Valentines for my class?"

The eight year old rolled his eyes. Nina had yet again burst into his room without knocking. She knew by now that she was supposed to knock. "I don't know."

"Will you please help me look?"

"No."

"But I said please!" She climbed up on his bed and bounced up and down. "Help me."

"Go ask dad."

"He is giving Milo a bath because he dumped his bowl of pasghetti-o's on his head. _Please_?"

"Stop bouncing!"

"Help me first and then I will stop."

"Stop and I will help you."

"Okay," she said with a cheery grin as she ceased bouncing.

Evan tossed his game controller on the floor before standing. How did she always get him to do stuff? "I think I saw him put the bag on his desk."

She followed him to the little nook in the living room that their dad had claimed for his workspace. Normally they weren't allowed to touch his desk. He didn't want them messing up any business stuff, but Nina only wanted what belonged to her. "There's no bag."

"Maybe it's in a drawer." He opened a drawer and began to dig through. "Not this one. Look on the other side."

"Are you sure? We're not supposed to go in his desk."

"Do you want your dumb Valentines or not?"

"Yes." The top two drawers revealed nothing interesting, but when Nina came to the bottom drawer she found a file labeled with a big word she knew very well. "Evan, this word is adoption, right?"

He glanced at the object in her hand "Yeah."

"And mommy and daddy haven't adoptioned us yet, right?"

"No, they haven't adopted us yet. We have to wait for court and they said sometimes getting court dates take a long time. Why?"

She opened it up to see what was inside. "What's a birth cer- certif...what is this?"

"We're supposed to be looking for your cards, nothing else."

"It's Calum's."

Evan looked at the paper and, sure enough, it was their baby brother's birth certificate. There was one thing that jumped out at him. It said Calum's last name was already Hunter. He thought they had to wait until court to officially change their names. Not being able to resist, he looked at the next piece of paper. " _Certificate of adoption_ ," he began, reading the bold lettering at the top of the page. _"This is to certify that Calum Wesley Hunter has been formally adopted into the Hunter family by John Hunter and Rachel Maguire Hunter on the 4_ _th_ _day of December..."_

"Mommy and daddy already adoptioned Calum?"

"This says they did a week after he was born."

"But why not us? They had us and Milo first."

"I don't know."

"Don't mommy and daddy want us anymore?"

He didn't have an answer for her.

"Evan, Nina, get your book bags off the table and in your rooms," Jack called out from another room. "Mom's picking up dinner on her way home from work."

"I'm going to ask daddy," she said.

Evan grabbed onto her arm. "No, you can't."

"But why?"

"Because then he will know we went into his desk and you'll get us into trouble." He put the papers back into the file and shoved it into the drawer. "If they're already starting to change their minds we have to be on good behavior so maybe they change them back."

"Should we buy them presents for Valentine's day? I got some money left from my birthday and Christmas, lots of it."

"How much?"

"Eleven dollars and sixty-three cents," she stated proudly.

"I don't think that would be enough."

"Do you have any money?"

"No."

She looked down. "Oh."

"There you guys are," Jack said. "Come on, book bags off the kitchen table."

"Okay."

"What were you doing by my desk?"

"We-"

"Nina was looking for her Valentines for her class. I thought I saw them on your desk."

"No, I put them on mine and mom's dresser. I'll get them for you in a little bit. Wait for mom to open them. She wants to help you fill them out."

"I know, daddy."

"Don't forget the book bags," he called out one more reminder before leaving the room.

"He's not acting like he's mad or changed his mind about keeping us," she said.

"We should still be good and not fight. And do everything they tell us to do just in case."

"That's gonna be hard."

"We have to try."

/

/

Angela took a deep breath and swiped the key card to gain access to her hotel room. The day had gone by like the others. It was a fun flurry of activity and the only time she had time to think about Eric or Georgia was when someone asked about them. Then, of course, she was more than happy to brag and show off pictures of her little family, cat included. It was now, when she returned to the hotel alone with nothing to do but think that she really missed them. Maybe she'd ditch the last couple of shows and go home a few days early. Then again, how smart would it be to bail out on her first job since having a baby? It could affect her professional life in a negative way. She didn't want to be pegged as someone who was unreliable. "I hate this."

"That's definitely not the reaction I was hoping for," Eric said from his spot on the couch.

She jumped. "Aah! Eric?"

"Surprise."

"What...how did you..."

"Call me pathetic, but I didn't want to wait one more day to see you. We missed you at home."

She went to the couch and moved to sit beside him, but found herself being pulled into his lap instead. "If you're pathetic then so am I. I was just thinking about going home early."

"I'm glad I got here when I did. It would've been lame if we pulled that sad sitcom trope where the couple travels to surprise each other at the same time and end up alone."

"Completely." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close for a kiss. When Eric attempted to turn it into more and moved to lay her back on the couch, she pulled away just a little bit. "Wait a minute."

"What, what's wrong?"

"Where's Georgia?"

"She's sleeping in the bedroom. She fell asleep about half way here." Angela tried to leave his lap, but he held her tight. "Where are you going?"

"I need to see her."

"But she's sleeping."

"I just need to take a peek." She smiled at him before giving him a quick kiss. "I'll be right back."

"What if you wake her up? We should be taking advantage of this."

Why did it seem like he was trying to stop her? "I haven't seen my baby in six days. If you don't let me up to go in there right now you'll be taking advantage of all future naps by yourself for the foreseeable future."

Eric loosened his grip, but still kept his arms wrapped loosely around her waist. "I'd never keep you from Georgia."

"Then why are you acting so weird?"

"Promise you won't hate me or think I'm a bad father?"

"Eric, you're scaring me."

"Well...you see..." He didn't know whether or not to be relieved when Georgia began to cry. "Let me get her," he said to Angela, who was ready to jump up.

"But-"

"I'll bring her right out. I promise."

"And you'll explain why you're being weird?"

"Yeah."

"Okay." True to his word, Eric was quick to bring the baby out. It was a little odd that she was wearing a hat, but that was the last thing on her mind. "There's my girl!" She wanted to cry at the way Georgia's face lit up and she let out those excited baby shrieks. Angela barely had time to prepare herself when she tried to wiggle out of Eric's grasp and over to her. "Hello. Hi, my baby girl. Did you miss me? Mama missed you." She kissed her daughter's cheek and winced when she felt two tiny fists tangled in her hair. "Ouch, okay, no, that's not nice, Georgia. Eric, help me out here."

"Um, Angela," he began as he assisted her. "There's something I need to tell you."

"Why do you have this hat on, huh? It's nice and warm in here. You don't need your bunny hat." She made silly faces and relished in the laughter. "No, you don't. You are a cute little bunny though."

"Angela, remember how you wanted an explanation for my weirdness?"

"Oh, yeah. What was going on with that?"

"You'll see when you take her hat off."

"What does that mean?"

He removed Georgia's hat and awaited the reaction. "Okay...let me have it."

"Have what? What's the secret? You unveiled our daughter's bald head. What's the big..." She trailed off when the baby turned to try and reach for one of the fancy tasseled pillows on the couch. There was a big bruise that definitely hadn't been there when she left. "Explain."

"It was an accident!"

" _What_. _Happened_."

"We didn't sleep very much last night and this morning Georgia was whining and wiggling all over the place. I figured she was hungry and I was getting the milk out of the fridge and then- you know how she will lean back sometimes and put all her body weight into it? And she's not heavy, but when you're not expecting it-"

"Eric?"

"She decided to lean back when I was getting stuff out of the fridge. When she did it she banged her head on the handle for the freezer door."

"Oh, my, god...is she-"

"She's fine. Mom drove us to the emergency room and the doctor said she'd be okay. We were in observation for a few hours and the tests came back clear."

"You called your mom?"

"Yeah. I was panicking and I knew she'd know what to do."

"But it didn't occur to you to call me and tell me that something might be seriously wrong with our daughter?"

"I wasn't thinking straight and everyone kept telling me she was okay. They weren't even going to scan her head because they said observation was enough but I insisted."

"You should've called me." She looked down when Georgia grabbed at her shirt and nuzzled her shoulder. "Are you hungry, baby?" She got up from the couch and moved to a chair near the window. "There we go. We can watch the snow."

Eric sat there quietly for a few minutes, not knowing what to do. After a while he figured Angela was probably getting thirsty and got a couple of bottles from the cooler he'd brought with. "Here, I brought your favorite juice." She didn't say anything, didn't even look at him. Her gaze remained fixed on Georgia as she fed her. "Angela, I'm sorry. I know I screwed up. It's all my fault Georgia got hurt. I thought I could handle things by myself for the week but who are we kidding? I'm just a big kid, certainly no one's father. She couldn't even last a week without getting hurt." He knelt down in front of the chair. "I failed you...both of you."

Angela wasn't sure what hurt worse: the anguish in his voice or the broken look on his face. "What do you mean," she asked softly.

"When you decided to take the job you said you could because Georgia would be safe with me. We can see how safe I kept her. I'm sorry I let you down. I will totally understand if you don't want to leave her alone with me again."

She reached out and touched his cheek with her free hand. "Eric, I trust you with Georgia. There is no one I will ever trust more with our daughter than you."

"But I-"

"I'm not upset about the bump. Well, I am, but only because she's my baby and I don't want to see her hurt. But I don't blame you. You're right. She can really throw you off balance when you're not expecting her to fling herself around like she does."

"Then what's the problem?"

"The problem is you never called me. I don't care how fine the doctors or your mother claimed she was. I should've been there. I'm her mom. I needed to be there."

"I'm sorry. I was so panicked at first all I could think about what getting Georgia to the hospital. Then once we knew she was okay I starting freaking out over how you'd react and blame me. I guess I was worrying about the wrong thing."

"I don't want us to start lying and keeping secrets from each other. I had enough of that with my dad. I really don't want to go through it with you."

"Me either."

"So we're agreed? No more secrets?"

He nodded. "I promise."

"And if something is wrong with Georgia we both need to be there, not just for her but for each other, too. We're supposed to be partners in this."

"I know." Eric rested his chin on Angela's knee. "This just proves I'm useless without you. I thought I was doing okay and getting the hang of it, but who am I fooling? I'm just a big, dumb kid. And big, dumb kids make big, dumb fathers."

She hated to see him beat himself up like this. "Why is the sky blue?"

"What?"

"The sky- why is it blue?"

He sat back on his heels. "Angela, I don't-"

"Georgia's going to ask one day."

"Light is made from different wavelengths of all sizes. The blue light is made of short wavelengths. The sun sends light down through all the dust and gases but we can't see color until something bends the wavelengths makes it scatter. The dust particles are the same size as blue light wavelengths and this makes blue light go everywhere, even on the dust. The blue sky is really blue light wavelengths scattering. At sunrise and sunset it's different color wavelengths bending through."

"Wow, all they taught us in science class was something about reflection from the sun. Now tell me about thunder."

"What about it?"

"What causes it?

"Is this your way of saying you failed earth science in high school?"

"Just answer the question."

Eric wasn't sure what the point of the pop quiz was, but didn't want to push things by arguing. "Thunder comes from lightning. Lightning is really fast and super crazy hot. The air doesn't have time to adjust to the temperature and gets compressed. Then the compressed air explodes and, ta-da...thunder." He wasn't expecting her to lean forward for a kiss. "What was that for?"

"You just answered the most asked kid questions with real, scientific answers."

"I have to know that stuff for my job. It's work stuff."

"Doesn't matter. You are so not a big, dumb dad. You're a smart, funny, creative, hot dad."

He pouted. "Why is hot last?"

"Fine, reverse what I said. Do you want to know how my dad explained thunder? He said the angels were bowling. Thunder meant one of them got a strike."

"Hey, my parents said the same thing. Did he also tell you that lightning meant they got a gutter ball?"

"No, he said that meant they forgot to turn the flash off when they were taking pictures."


	2. Chapter 2

_Two things: I am very sorry about the delay. My goal is to have no longer than two weeks between updates but unfortunately sometimes work and life get in the way of that. (How rude of them, lol.) And two, even though the story is focused on Angela/Eric, I am working with a rather large cast of characters here and am going to try to keep everyone...if not included regularly than at least mentioned. But with so many characters it's only natural one or two can get away from me occasionally. As I'm going through and making edits (this story is pretty much written already, just needs final editing and to be broken into chapters) I noticed sometimes they disappear for a while. Hopefully I've caught it all and can keep everyone regularly involved, but if you notice a few chapters go by and so-and-so hasn't been given even a passing mention, don't be afraid to pm me or poke me with a stick. Chances are they just got lost in the mass of characters._

 _Thank you so much for all of the feedback to the previous chapter. You guys are awesome. Thank you for sticking with me through slight delays. :-)_

* * *

"Alan, are you all right?" Silence. There was not a peep coming from the other side of the bed. "I know you're not asleep. If you were you'd be snoring."

"I don't snore," he said as he turned over to face his wife. "I have a deviated septum. It happened during all those boxing matches when I was in the navy, the last match actually. Yep, if I had just been able to duck Freddie Johnson's left hook I'd have won the golden gloves instead of the silver…not to mention I wouldn't have this deviated septum that is apparently keeping me from trying to fall asleep in peace." There, that should be just cranky enough to get her to leave him alone.

"Why are you awake?"

 _Or not._ "Because I haven't fallen asleep yet."

"Thank you, Mr. Obvious. What are you thinking?"

He rolled his eyes. "You know I hate when you ask that in bed."

"It's the only time I have you alone long enough to get a real, honest answer." She sat up and turned on a lamp. "Something is obviously on your mind. Talk to me."

Alan weighed his options and realized Amy could drag this out all night if she really wanted to. She has in the past. He had to go to work in the morning. "Why didn't Eric call me when he thought Georgia was in trouble? Why did he call you?"

"Really? This is what you've been brooding over for the past couple days?"

"I don't brood."

"Tell that to your crossed arms and the pout on your face."

"Is it wrong that it bothers me?"

"I suppose that depends on why it bothers you. He called me. What's wrong with that? We've always let the kids know that if they need us we will be there."

"Yeah, I know, but…it's not like he called the house phone and you happened to answer. He called your cell. That means he was specifically looking for you."

"Maybe he remembered that you were already at the store because you get early deliveries on Wednesdays."

"Amy, please, that would require rational thought. Rational thought goes flying out the window when you think your kid is in trouble. You act on instinct. Eric's instincts told him to reach out to you."

"So his first thought was to call his mother. How terrible."

"That's not what I mean. It's just...I'm a father, Eric's a father now…I'm _his_ father."

"Those are all accurate statements."

"So wouldn't you think if he had any questions about being a parent- being a father- that he'd come to me?"

"I don't-"

"This thing with Georgia bumping her head, it's not the first time he's reached out to you instead of me since she was born. Has he said anything? Did I do anything to upset him?"

"Not that I know of."

He shook his head. "Maybe I'm overreacting, but for so many years me and Eric…we were buddies. We were on the same wavelength. If he needed something he came to me with zero hesitation because chances were you'd say no or want him to do it himself. And yes, I know I let him rely on me too much, but we got past that. I just thought with Georgia he'd start needing me a little more again. Babies can be tricky to figure out and I thought I'd get to dole out all these anecdotes and things I've learned when he needed it, but it turns out you're the one he's decided he needs."

"I'm sorry, honey." She wasn't sure why she was apologizing, but Amy didn't know what else to say.

"It's not your fault."

"Do you want me to talk to him when he gets home?"

"Where is he?"

"On the day of the bump he and Georgia met up with Angela in New York. She's going to show the baby off to her friends at Fashion Week. I'll talk to him if you want me to."

"No, it's okay. I'm sure I'm making more out of it than is really there."

"You know, Eric probably doesn't even realize he's been calling on me more than you. His brain probably thinks, ' _call the parents_ ,' and he scrolls through the contact list on his phone and just picks the number he sees first."

He gave her a kiss before lying back down. "Yeah, I'm sure that's it. Goodnight."

/

/

"Have you noticed anything odd about the kids lately?"

Jack set his laptop aside. He used to stay up late reading a book or watching a movie, doing work, or something more fun with Rachel. Tonight he'd been researching sign language DVDs and classes and reading up on how babies adapt to hearing aids. Calum was going to be fitted with his first hearing aid soon. They were excited, anxious, nervous, and every emotion in between. It was a challenge not to get their hopes too far up when there was a real possibility it might not work and he may never hear. "You'll need to be more specific. How odd and which kid?"

"I'm serious." Rachel checked on the baby one more time before getting into bed. "Evan and Nina have been so nice and agreeable the past couple of days. They don't fight going to bed, they put their toys away, dirty clothes are winding up in the correct baskets, dishes make it to the sink, and Evan is doing his homework without putting up a stink- even the math. If he needs help he asks instead of trying to hide it and lie that he already completed it. And the past two nights Nina hasn't begged for extra bedtime stories. Something is wrong."

"Or maybe we got lucky and stumbled onto some sort of secret kid spell. If that's the case, why are you questioning it? You know what they say about a gift horse. Don't even look at it. Just let it be."

"That's not quite how the saying goes."

"You know what I mean."

"Think about when you were a kid- all those many years ago."

"Hey. You know you're marching up that hill to the old folks' home only about six months behind me, right?"

"I'm sorry I implied you were old. It will be an injustice if you're not carded when we go out to dinner with my brother and his latest true love tomorrow night."

"Now you're laying it on a little too thick." He did roll his eyes at the mention of her brother. Jack liked David just fine. He was a decent guy- a good brother and uncle- but it seemed every other week he met the love of his life and he and Rachel got stuck going out to dinner with them. "What's this one's name?"

"Tiffany."

"Ah, so he's reverting back to high school and dating a head cheerleader?"

"She's a nuclear physicist."

"Oh. Sorry. Do we think since this one's smart and obviously has a solid career plan there's a chance he'll stick with her longer than it takes to eat dinner? Then again, David doesn't seem to like them with brains."

"Let's stick to our current family crisis, please, and leave my brother alone." She kissed his cheek. "What did it mean when you did everything your parents wanted without question?"

"I usually wanted something."

"Me, too. Either I wanted something or I did something wrong and I was trying to build up good karma before I was busted."

"I haven't noticed anything broken or missing and we'd know by now if something happened at school."

"Okay, so what do they want?"

"Candy?"

She shot him an incredulous look. "Do you really think there'd be days of weirdness if it was just building to a couple candy bars?"

"Probably not. You know what concerns me the most," he asked.

"What?"

"It's not just Evan that's been quiet and agreeable, but Nina, too. The only other time she's been quiet for this long was when she dropped your phone, cracked the screen, and then tried to hide it."

"My phone's intact."

"Mine, too. All of the electronic devices are fine. The portable DVD player is busted, but that's my fault. I dropped it."

Rachel yawned and glanced at the alarm clock. "How about we sleep on it and start subtly questioning them tomorrow? Calum's going to wake up for a bottle in less than three hours and you know Milo will get up at some point for the middle of the night stuffed lion hunt. And, as much as it sucks for you to get up, he always cries for his _da_ to help him. When I go in there it wakes him up more."

"I still say we should tie that thing to his wrist so he doesn't lose it in the crib bars night after night."

"We can't do that."

He turned off the lamp and tossed the extra pillows on the floor before lying down. "Then how long before we can train him to look around the crib for the lion before he cries for us…me?"

"He'll be two in May. Who knows, maybe he'll learn to look around for what he wants before he cries for us by then."

/

/

"Which room number is theirs' again?"

Topanga scanned the room guides when they approached a corner. "We need to turn right. Cory, are you sure my clothes look okay."

"Of course, Topanga, you look beautiful."

She pulled on his arm so he wouldn't get too far ahead. "Are you saying that because you really think I look beautiful or are you just saying that because you love me?"

"What are you talking about? I love you. You're always beautiful to me- even when you had that nasty head cold and flu with gross stuff coming out of every-"

"Oh, Cory, that's disgusting! And you've just proven that you cannot possibly be a fair judge. You're a biased boy with no fashion sense. I'll ask Angela."

"I don't see what the big deal is. You're going to look at clothes and shoes. You see clothes and shoes everyday- in your own closet even!"

"I'm going to a fashion show with big name designers. There are going to be celebrities and cameras everywhere. I want to look like I belong."

"What happened to the woman who doesn't care about fitting in? The one who is proud to march to the beat of her own drum? You'll stand out and wow them because you're you, Topanga, not because you're wearing the latest trends."

She leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss. "Thank you, that's very sweet. But is it okay if I do what I can to make sure I don't end up on some random worst dressed list?"

"You won't end up on that list."

"Thank you," she replied, kissing him again.

"They only put celebrities on those. No one is going to care who you are."

"Seriously?" She pushed past him and continued down the hall.

"Um…I mean you're so wow, breathtaking everyone will want to know you!"

"Too late, Cory." She approached the door. "Now remember, do not say anything about Georgia's head."

"Why did Angela give that weirdly specific warning again?"

"I have no idea, but do what she says." Topanga knocked again after her first one went unanswered. "Odd. I'm sure this is the time Angela told me to meet…" She stopped talking when Angela opened the door, half dressed and half awake. "Hi. Am I too early?"

She yawned and leaned against the door, waving the couple inside. "No, you're on time."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, you look…well, you've looked better." When she didn't respond and he didn't see her standing with them, Cory turned around and found Angela still leaning against the open hotel room door. Her eyes were closed. "Angela?"

She jumped. When she saw Cory and Topanga she was confused. "When did you guys get here?"

"About forty-five seconds ago. You let us in."

That was vaguely familiar. "Right. At least standing at the door makes sense." She went to the couch and stared at the various blouses she'd laid out the night before. They looked so different last night, but now they all seemed to blur together. "Topanga, which of these goes best with my skirt?"

She eyed Angela's black and white floral print pencil skirt before checking out the white tops on the couch. "The wrap style blouse, definitely that one."

"Okay. Cory, turn around."

"Huh, why?"

"I'm changing my shirt. Either turn around or go into the hall. I'm beyond the point of caring who sees me, but you, my friend, are a prude. And before you ask, I'm not going to risk going into the bedroom because Georgia is sleeping…finally. She's got two bottom teeth coming in and was up all night screaming. She crashed about an hour and a half ago. Eric fell asleep not long after. With my luck Georgia will hear me take in a little too much oxygen and start crying again."

"I'll turn around and uh-" He scanned the room and picked up something from the coffee table before turning around to face the door. "- I'll just peruse the room service menu here. Now, explain this to me: why would you come all the way to a nice hotel like this and order a bowl of Raisin Bran or Cheerios? Who can't make that at home? You pour cereal and add milk."

"Sweetie, did you sleep at all," Topanga asked Angela, tuning out her husband.

"Some." Eric tried to take over with Georgia, but the baby wanted her mother.

"Did you want to reschedule or-"

She laughed. "Reschedule Fashion Week because my six month old kept me up all night? Cute, Topanga."

"She's six months old already?"

"On Friday she will be."

"Wow."

"I know. It's going way too fast. Okay, are my clothes in more or less the right place? I won't get arrested for indecent exposure?"

"If you did, I'd defend you."

"That's not a helpful answer right now."

"You look great."

Angela took out her compact and checked her make-up. "I look like a freaking zombie," she said through a yawn.

"Don't you mean _Mombie_?"

She turned around and saw Eric standing in the doorway with Georgia in his arms. "She's awake again?"

"I heard her before she reached air raid siren levels."

"I should get out of here before she decides the two of us need to be conjoined like last night. That will only cause more waterworks."

"Oh, my, god," Cory exclaimed, catching a glimpse of the bruise, "what happened to her hea…I mean how about I distract her with this cool new toy I bought her so you can leave in peace?" He dug through his messenger bag. "I know it's in here somewhere."

"Cory, how many times have we gone over this? You don't need to have a present for Georgia every time you see her."

"Shh, don't ruin a good thing," Eric whispered to his girlfriend. "The more crap he buys, the less we have to. If we play our cards right, maybe we can get him to pay for a car when she turns sixteen."

"You'd get a kid car for their sixteenth birthday? That doesn't seem risky to you?"

"It doesn't have to be a car. She could get a pony."

"On second thought, a car doesn't sound so bad. Luckily we have fifteen years to make this decision."

"I found it!" He raised the toy triumphantly. "Check this out, Georgia. It may look like your ordinary stuffed octopus, but it's got all of these activities attached to each tentacle. This one has a mirror, ooh and there's a squeaker on-"

"Activities attached to what?!"

" _Tentacle_ , Eric," Angela said, doing her best not to laugh. "An octopus has tentacles."

"Oh, okay. I was going to say that sounded like a really warped toy for a baby. And plus she's a girl so she doesn't even have the other things."

Cory hit his brother's shoulder. "What the hell's the matter with you? Why would you think I'd buy her an inappropriate toy?" He looked to his niece when she chimed in with some rather harsh sounding babbles of her own. "What was that?"

"I believe that was my kid's way of saying don't ever hit my daddy again." He hit brother with his free hand. "Or if you do, be prepared to pay the price."

"Ow! That's way harder than I hit you." He frowned. "No, munchkin, this isn't funny. Don't laugh at that."

"Sorry, she's on team daddy."

/

/

"So, how bad do you think fries rank on a list of a baby's first foods? I know they're not the best, but they can't be on the bottom of the list, right?"

After giving Georgia a bottle and getting her to take another short nap- he tried to squeeze one in, too, but she didn't seem to want to settle with her uncle- Eric and Cory decided to go out for lunch. They spent most of their meal laughing at Georgia. She was really interested in their food and tried to make a grab for something every chance she got. Eventually they had to take turns eating while the other held and played with her to keep her distracted. She still managed to get her hands on a fry and shoved it into her mouth. To say she was not happy when Eric promptly took it from her would be a severe understatement. The entire diner became aware of how upset this made her.

"They were sweet potato fries. Those are healthier," Cory reminded him.

"I guess." He laughed when Georgia squirmed around in the wrap. "There are a lot of things to look at, huh? People, dogs, and cars- "

"Oh, my."

"Funny, Cor. I think we're still a little bit off from the _lions, and tigers, and bears_ stage of her childhood."

"Yeah, you don't want to show _The Wizard of Oz_ too early. Those flying monkeys can scar a kid."

"Topanga told me you still find an excuse to leave the room whenever the monkeys come on."

"Because I was shown the movie too early and was scarred for life! It's really your fault when you think about it."

"How do you figure that?"

"You told me flying monkeys were real and not just in the movie. You said the reason dad built the treehouse was to protect us from-" Cory realized his brother was no longer walking beside him. He turned around and found him several feet back staring at a storefront display…a jewelry display. "What are you doing? I'm not so upset I need a gift to make things better."

Eric rolled his eyes. "I'm certainly not looking for you. You can be bought off with tacos and pudding."

"Hey! Then what are you looking…oh," he gasped, realization dawning on him. "We're standing in front of a jewelry store, a jewelry store window showing lots of rings!"

"Will you be quiet?"

"What, afraid Georgia will rat you out? One: she's a baby, and two: she's asleep." Cory admired the way the diamonds caught the sunlight, it was like watching dozens of stars. "How long have you been thinking about proposing?"

"Seriously thinking about it? A little bit," he admitted.

"Why haven't you asked her yet? You and Angela…you guys have been together for a while, you have a baby, own a home, and-"

"That's exactly why I haven't."

Cory made a face. "Care to explain, because I don't understand."

"Angela knew she was pregnant for a week before she told me. She was afraid of, well, a lot of things. But mostly she was afraid that I would propose because of the baby. That's why her parents got married and nothing scares her more than turning into them.

"We made a deal to take things one step at a time. Nothing about our relationship has been normal. We went from zero to Mach 10 in the blink of an eye. I have no regrets and I wouldn't change a thing. What we have…it's been crazy and chaotic and amazing and everything in between. Angela and Georgia are the best things that have ever happened to me and I don't know what I did before them." Eric tucked his daughter a little closer and kissed the hat that covered her head. "But with everything that's gone on sometimes it's hard to keep a handle on who we are as a couple because we didn't get to know each other that way for very long before all the other stuff started coming at us. We had to learn and adapt as we went."

"All couples do that. Or, they're supposed to anyway. Topanga and I failed at it for a few years there and we nearly fell apart."

"Most couples didn't have to adapt as fast as we did though. It doesn't make us better or worse, it's just what makes us _us_."

"What does that have to do with not asking her to marry you?"

"After all of the big, life changing stuff that happened we deserved a chance to breathe and keep our heads above water, settle into our life together and with Georgia."

"And now you're ready to propose," Cory cheered, clapping his hands together.

"Will you shut up? If you wake up Georgia you're going to take over until she's happy again. She's teething now, so she's a very tough audience."

"I'm sorry. But still, _yay_."

"I'm not proposing now. It still doesn't feel like the right time, but I think it will be soon. I want to do it right, plan something really special and romantic." No matter how many times Angela insisted she didn't need fancy dinners, flowers, trips, and expensive dates and that she loved their takeout food at one in the morning and sitcom reruns on TV dates when he came home from work, Eric couldn't help but feel guilty. He thought back to all the years and money he wasted wooing countless girls to be in relationships that ultimately wouldn't work.

He never got the chance to woo Angela. He didn't have to. The moment she reappeared in Philadelphia they clicked and that was that. They just knew. Still, when the time came for him to ask her to marry him Eric wanted it to be special. She deserved it.

"Let me know if you need any tips," Cory said, breaking into his brother's thoughts. "Romance is my specialty."

"Yeah, Cor, if I need help picking between a fern or a ficus plant I'll be sure to give you a call."

"Hey!"

"You gave your girlfriend a plant when you were sixteen."

"She still married me."

"Not because of the plant."

He stared out at the vast array of rings. "I never got to do anything for my engagement. Topanga proposed spur of the moment and then mom gave her Nana Boo Boo's engagement ring."

"You made sure the wedding happened even when Topanga had doubts. That's a big something."

"I suppose. Actually, if we're going to be technical you're the one that made our wedding happen."

"And you've still never sent me a thank you gift or paid me for my unofficial role as wedding planner."

"I spent my wedding night in jail because you hijacked someone else's wedding. You're lucky you're still breathing."

"When are you going to get over that?"

"Wedding night…jail…how about never?" Something occurred to him. "Hey, it doesn't bother you, does it?"

"What? That you spent a night in jail? Nah, I got over that years ago."

"No, that mom gave Nana Boo Boo's ring to Topanga instead of saving it for you."

"Why would I care about an old lady's engagement ring?"

"It's a family heirloom and you're the oldest-"

"Heirloom? When did we become rich people? And to be honest, Angela prefers colorful stones. She'd appreciate the meaning behind the ring and the connection to our family, but she's not big on diamonds."

"Then why did you stop in front of a huge window full of diamond rings?"

"I saw them and started to think about the future. The rings are all very nice, but they are very much not Angela. So my ring search continues."

"Continues? You've been looking?"

"I only started looking for real not long ago. I haven't found anything that seems right yet. Please don't tell anyone, not even Shawn and Topanga. Whenever it happens I want to surprise Angela."

"I promise." And he meant it. "And if you need my helping planning anything just let me know. What does the right one look like? Maybe I can help."

"I don't know, Cory. I think it's one of those things where I'll know it when I see it."

"Well, whenever you find it, whether it's next week or next year, the most important thing is," he paused and threw his arms around his big brother, "you're getting married!" He realized his faux pas milliseconds before the crying began. "Uh-oh."

"You squashed my kid!"

"I'm sorry. It was an accident."

Eric took the baby out of the wrap and quickly looked her over. "Shh, it's okay, Georgia. Uncle Cory was being a dumbbell." He walked down the street ahead of his brother. It was probably best to head back to the hotel now.

"A dumbbell?"

"That's what I said."

"Is she okay," Cory asked as the crying continued.

"Yeah, she just got scared."

"I forgot you were wearing her in your coat. I was excited for you. Do you need help getting her back in?"

"No. Actually, hold her for a second."

He accepted the baby and it killed him to know she was crying because of him. He kissed her cheek. "I'm sorry, munchkin. Uncle Cory didn't mean to squish you."

"Here." Eric held out a thermal receiving blanket he got from the diaper bag. "Wrap her in this and she'll be fine until we get back to the hotel." He'd dressed her in a fleece outfit to prepare for the weather. "You're on baby duty until she stops crying."

"But, I-"

"Or I could tell Angela you almost squashed her precious baby girl and let her go all Mama Bear on you. You may not live through it, but I'd have my entertainment for the evening."

"Does Georgia prefer _The Wheels on the Bus_ or _Itsy, Bitsy Spider_ as a lullaby?"

/

/

"Nina, go to your room. We'll talk about this when mom gets home."

"But, daddy, I-"

"Nina, go."

"You are being a very mean daddy!" The five year old crossed her arms and stomped to her room. She didn't understand why she was in trouble. A couple kids were making fun of her brother and she stuck up for him. That's what you were supposed to do. It was the right thing. To make sure her daddy knew she was upset with him, Nina slammed her bedroom door shut as hard as she could. It was what kids did on television.

Back in the kitchen Jack was getting Milo settled in his booster seat at the table. He game him a few toys and a bowl of cereal to keep him occupied while dinner was prepared. He winced when he heard the door slam.

"Nina bad," the toddler said.

"No, Milo, Nina's not bad."

"What did she do?"

Jack turned around and saw Evan standing there. "That's not really any of your business right now."

"Yes, it is. She's my sister." He'd asked Nina what happened when they were in the car, but she was crying over getting in trouble at school and wouldn't say anything.

"Evan, me and mom will take care of it, okay?"

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Jack shook his head as the boy left the room. Doors slamming, head shaking, eye rolling? Wasn't this teenage behavior? He thought he had a few more years before they had to deal with this.

/

"Nina, let me in," Evan whispered, knocking. "Nina?" When she still didn't answer he opened the door. His sister wasn't anywhere to be seen. Her sniffles could be heard loud and clear, however. "Nina, are you hiding?"

"No."

He followed the muffled voice and found her under Milo's crib. She was wearing her blue magician's cape and hugging the large _My Little Pony_ Uncle Shawn and Aunt Nomi got her for her birthday. "Why are you hiding?"

"Daddy's mad at me. My teacher was mad, too, and I thought Miss Pilar was my friend. And mommy is going to be mad when she gets home."

"What did you do?"

"I threw my box of crayons at Bella and Madison."

"Why?"

"They made fun of Calum. Miss Pilar wanted us to talk about our families and then color pictures. I said Calum can't hear but soon he's going to get special batteries in his ears to hear us. Bella and Madison starting saying stuff."

"What stuff?"

"Mean stuff so I got mad and threw my crayons." She covered her face with her stuffed pony. "Are you mad at me, too?"

"Why would I be mad at you throwing crayons at dumb girls? I hope you hit them."

"Because you said that we have to be on super good behavior so mommy and daddy adoption us like they did with Calum. I didn't do good behavior today. If mommy and daddy change their minds is it going to be my fault?"

Evan grabbed a pillow from his sister's bed and lay on the floor beside the crib. "I don't know."


	3. Chapter 3

_Slightly past my every two week goal, but I'm getting better. :-) Angela/Eric will be going back to more of the main story one they're back in Philadelphia. (I believe that's in the next chapter, definitely no later than chapter 5. My outlines and notebooks aren't in front of me at the moment.) I feel like Nina and Evan have been stealing center stage in these first few chapters. It will all even out for everyone in the end. There's quite a bit of Angela/Eric in this chapter, lots of fun (I hope) and flirty, if a little frustrating, moments with our favorite couple._

 _Thank you so much for your comments and messages on the previous chapter. I appreciate it more than I could ever possibly articulate. :-)_

* * *

"Nina, what are you doing?"

She put her hands behind her back and leaned against the wall, smiling sweetly at the babysitter. "I'm not doing nothing, Kelsey. I'm just standing here."

The babysitter was suspicious, but was also busy trying to stop Milo from sticking a toy in Calum's mouth. "Well, come watch the movie with the rest of us. You and Evan picked _Balto_ because you read the book."

"I'm going to get the book from my room to make sure they got it right when they made the movie."

"Okay, but come right back out here. Getting a book shouldn't take you more than a minute."

"But-"

"One minute, Nina. Milo, no!" She took the toy from the toddler. "No, your car does not go in Calum's mouth."

"Kelsey, can I have some more juice," Evan asked. "I can get it myself."

"Sure. Can you be a big help and get some more water for Milo?" She handed over the sippy cup. "I'd do it, but I think the second my back is turned he'd try to shove Legos up the baby's nose."

"Probably. He tried to shove dog food up there yesterday." On his way to the kitchen, Evan took a detour and stopped by Nina's bedroom. She wasn't looking for a book. She was sitting on her bed with a phone in her hands. "Do you have to call someone to help you find the book?"

She jumped. "Ah!" The phone nearly fell, but she caught it before it hit the floor. "You dummy, you almost got me in trouble again."

'No, not me. You're the one not doing what you said you would. What are you doing?"

"Nothing."

"Who were you going to call?"

"Nobody." She shoved a crumpled piece of paper into her pocket.

"Liar."

"Nina, it's been a minute," the babysitter called from the other room. "Come back with the book."

"Okay," she responded. "I have to go back out there." Nina was confused when Evan walked further into the room and pushed her aside to retrieve the phone from her bed. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"Mom is always telling dad to put this back on the charger. I'm putting it back on the charger in the kitchen."

She frowned. "On the high counter?" It had taken her forever to get the phone down from there without anybody catching her.

"Yep."

" _Nina!"_

"You better go back by Kelsey," Evan said with a smirk. He didn't need Nina doing anything else wrong.

She punched her brother in the arm on her way out. "I don't like you very much right now."

"I don't care."

/

"...and thank goodness the school took the other girls' behavior into consideration and isn't threatening to kick Nina out."

"Kick her out for what," Rachel's brother asked. "Throwing crayons? Since when is that something that will get you expelled? It's not something Mister Rogers would teach, but she was sticking up for her brother. You don't punish someone for defending family."

"The school has a zero tolerance policy, but because the two girls she threw the crayons at were exhibiting signs of bullying, they are going to work with the three of them to modify their behaviors."

He made a face. "The school knows they're dealing with kindergartners, don't they? Impulse control and smart decisions are not things they're known for. I don't think their brains have made all those connections yet."

"Wow, and here I thought you'd be leading the charge against the other two girls."

"I am! I was talking about Nina. By five you know not to make fun of a deaf baby- or any baby. I don't care who you are. Those little b-"

"David!" His date, Tiffany, slapped his arm.

"I was going to say brats," he reassured her. "I think making fun of babies automatically qualifies someone as a brat."

"Okay," Jack began, pointing a finger at his brother-in-law, "you are forbidden from talking to Nina about this."

"Jack-"

"Why?"

"She doesn't need her own personal coach egging her on and saying she did the right thing by lashing out."

"So, you're telling me that you're not the tiniest bit proud of her," David challenged.

"Of course I'm proud of her, but Rachel and I can't walk around giving her high fives and encouraging that type of behavior in school. That would be the wrong message for us, as her parents, to send."

"Can I high five her? I'm just the uncle. I believe it's in the Uncle's bill of rights to encourage stupid crap like this. It builds a kid's character."

Rachel put her head in her hands. "Davy..."

"Not you, too. Don't act like little miss innocent, Rach. It's not like mom and dad didn't have to come down to the school and talk to the principal when you held...what was her name...Melissa? Anyway, they had to come because you held her head in the toilet and wouldn't let her out of the stall until she apologized for something-"

"Her name was Melinda."

"You held a girl named Melinda's head in a toilet," Jack asked in disgust. "Why?"

"She told our whole class I took steroids and that's why I was so tall and strong!"

"She what?"

"I had a pretty big growth spurt between freshman and sophomore year- and I had already been tall to begin with. When I came back to school that year I was taller than most of the teachers. The ironic part was I was most mortified about being taller than the captain of the varsity basketball team."

"Probably because you had a huge crush on him," her brother helpfully added.

"Shut up, David." She played with a napkin that was on the table. "Melinda told everybody that I did steroids and that was why I was so big. She said people should start calling me Ray."

"Bitch."

"It was bad enough already being stuck with the nickname _Rachel the Rod_ but she-"

" _Rachel the Rod_ ," Jack asked. "I don't get it."

"I was a late bloomer, a very late bloomer. I was tall and gangly, super skinny with not a curve or anything to me until I was almost sixteen." She let out a wry chuckle. "After that I was _Rachel the Rod_ no more."

"It sounds to me like that mean girl is lucky that you only stuck her head in a toilet," Tiffany chimed in. "I hope she has flashbacks and cries every time she hears a flush."

Rachel smiled. "Thank you." She actually liked this date of her brother's and hoped she would stick around beyond dessert.

"I don't know, I still think you overreacted. Was Melinda's name calling worth a week's detention?"

"Do we want to compare it to how you reacted when some kids called you Davy Dumpling?"

"You swore you'd never mention that," he grumbled, "especially in front of a date."

"You were a heavy kid, too," Jack asked, wondering how he had never seen photographic evidence of this. He extended his hand. "Hi, the mean jerks on the playground used to call me Jumbo Jack."

/

/

"I swear nothing beats that baby smell. She's not a new baby anymore, but it's still good stuff. Of course I say that now that we're past her post-nap diaper. That was not a pleasant experience, Georgia. No, it was not. Especially since your parents didn't see fit to warn me that you now like to roll around during diaper changes." Naomi grinned as the baby bounced happily in her lap and played with a toy. "Seriously, Shawn, come smell her head."

Shawn looked up from his laptop. He was in the midst of looking over Angela's latest article and picking the best of his pictures to accompany it before sending it along to the editor for approval. "Wha-no, that's okay, ya weirdo. I try not to go around randomly sniffing people. Even in the trailer park it was always considered bad manners. Unless you thought they had good food. Then the eater was fair game…no pun intended." Three months and counting until their wedding and his fiancée was showing the telltale signs of baby fever. Now she was sniffing babies to get her high? He was moments away from pulling a Cory and freaking out. Either that or pulling a vintage him and walking out- not far, he'd just get some air… air free of baby smells. "Just don't try to hide her when Eric and Angela come to pick her up. I like getting a full night's sleep. Last time I checked you did, too. Sleep is a huge plus in the land of no babies."

"What are you talking about? I'm not going to kidnap her."

"Just checking. Why did you agree to babysit without running it by me first? What if I made plans for us?"

"Then I'd mark it on the calendar because you haven't taken me out in a while. Besides, Cory and Topanga couldn't watch her because they both have huge days at work tomorrow. What's the big deal anyway? I thought you liked Georgia."

"I have nothing against the child."

"I'm sure _the child_ here is happy to hear that."

"Between work and planning the wedding we haven't exactly had time for dates." He stretched and pushed his laptop away with a sigh. "And anyway, did you ever think it might be weird to have my ex-girlfriend's daughter in my home?"

"Considering it hasn't been weird for you the other 312,962 times you've been around her? No, I didn't think you'd mind."

"There's always been a tiny bit of weirdness there," he admitted. After all, he never touched Angela's stomach when she was pregnant and he booked a job so he wouldn't have to see her in the hospital after she had Georgia. Though, the latter part had much more to do with him loathing hospitals than weirdness over Angela and Eric having a baby. "That's just a fact of the circumstances. But you're definitely not helping right now."

"Care to elaborate?"

"No, not really."

"Shawn?"

"I'm working."

"Please," she snorted, then smiled when the baby tried to imitate the noise. "Like I don't know you're done."

"What makes you say that?"

"The stretch and sigh."

"What?"

"Whenever you finish a job, big or small, you stretch and push your computer away with the same sigh. _Every._ _Time_."

"Do not."

"Hello, which one of us is the true Shawn Hunter expert?"

"Cory," he responded indignantly.

"Seriously, hon, what is going on? And don't tell me it has anything to do with Georgia, Angela, or Eric. Not when you've been cool with all of them in the past. Wasn't it just Christmas when you, Cory, and Josh were competing to see who could make Georgia laugh first?"

"I would've won if Mr. Feeny didn't stick those celery sticks up his nose," he said with a slight smile.

"Don't forget the orange slice in his mouth."

"Yeah, the cheater."

"How could anyone be expected to compete with that?" She lifted Georgia up when she began to squirm around and fuss. "Are you almost ready for your bottle?" She stood and walked over to Shawn. "Here."

He just stared. "What?"

"You have to be the one to feed her. Angela said she still only takes a bottle from guys."

" _Still_?" He took the baby. "You're definitely Angela's daughter- stubborn as hell just like her. Then again that trait could also come from anyone with the last name Matthews. Well, maybe not your dad. He's too…too…a little too Eric for that. Your Uncle Cory on the other hand…" He shook his head. "…wow. Stubborn is not the word. There's plenty of time for you to learn about that when you're older."

It was all Naomi could do not to outwardly gush at Shawn's attempts at baby talk. She would've thought after all the trips to see the kids in Texas he'd be better at talking to little ones, but he was damn near robotic with a baby. They needed to be a little older and more interactive before he was able to really make a connection. Still, he always tried and it was always cute. She knew if she said one word about it he'd clam up. She kissed his cheek instead. "I'm going to warm her bottle. I'll be right back."

Shawn stared at Georgia and found that she seemed to be watching him with equal curiosity. For as much as she looked like her father she had definitely inherited her mother's penetrating stare. It made him just as uncomfortable as it did when Angela used to have him under her visual microscope, maybe more. Babies were innocent. They didn't have preconceived thoughts and prejudices about the kind of person you were. When they looked at you, they saw you- the real you. You couldn't bullshit a baby. "Hi. This is good- no tears. I like that. Do you think we can keep it this way until Nomi gets back with your bottle?"

He realized this was probably the first time they had ever been alone together, just the two of them. It wasn't that he went out of his way to avoid the situation, it just hadn't happened. Volunteering to babysit Angela's daughter just never popped up on his to-do list, no matter how okay they were. He winced when Georgia latched onto his face with slobbery hands. "Ugh…I've been baby slimed." Shawn squeezed his eyes shut to keep her from digging her fingers in. "This is for the comment about your mom being stubborn, isn't it?" She warbled some sort of response in squealed gibberish. His only consolation was that it sounded like happy gibberish. "Okay, I get it. My sincerest apologies for offending you, kid."

/

/

"Hey, stranger." Angela grinned at Eric as he staggered over and took a seat on the stool beside her at the bar. "I was beginning to think I'd lost you for good." She handed over the bottle of beer she'd ordered for him. "Did everyone get their dances in? Are the interrogations about your intentions towards me finished?"

"Your fashion friends are nuts with all the questions...and very grabby. I feel like a cheap piece of meat."

"Who got grabby?"

"The last two. I don't know their names. Let's call them tall girl in the short white dress and tall girl in the red shirt and short shorts."

She narrowed her eyes and scanned the crowd. "Kristine and Jeltje." They weren't friends of hers'. They were newer models. She didn't know them well. "Where exactly did they get grabby?"

"If the police need their fingerprints they can get them off my ass."

"Really?" She spun around and hopped off the stool. "Excuse me."

Eric took hold of her arm before she could get far. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to handle the situation. They think they can put their hands all over my man? They're sadly mistaken." It was different when Manon or her other friends danced with Eric or flirted with him. That was harmless and all in the name of fun. They knew where the lines of appropriate behavior were. He never knew what to think when they all talked and joked around him in French. That was why they did it. Some of the girls in this group had been the closest thing she'd had to family before settling in Philadelphia.

"Don't you think you're going a little overboard?"

"What would you be doing if our positions were reversed and some guy put his hands all over me?"

"I'd trust you to handle yourself."

She gave him a pointed stare. "How about you give me the non-politically correct, _truthful_ answer?"

"I'd pound the crap out of him and made sure he lived to regret it."

"Exactly. You're always saying every guy's wildest fantasy is to have women fighting over him." She patted his cheek. "Saddle up, babe, your dream is about to come true. I'm going in."

"Is this the most fun party or what," Manon said as she came up to the couple.

"Let's go with the second one."

"What's wrong?"

Eric tried to follow their conversation- he'd downloaded one of those French language programs to his computer in order to brush up prior to coming to New York- but they went too fast for him. Before he knew it Manon kissed his cheek and hugged Angela before she stalked across the club and rounded up the non-grabby girls he'd danced with. "What just happened? Was that like a mob movie kiss of death thing? Are we safe here?"

"What was it you said once? I created a network of protective super model friends?"

"That sounds like me."

"If I have a network of protective super model friends that means _you_ have a network of protective super model friends, too."

"There is no right way to respond to that so I'm just going to drink my beer." He reached around her and retrieved his bottle from the bar. "You were seriously going to kick ass for me?"

"Of course." Angela snaked her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest.

"As incredibly hot as that is- and trust me, seeing you all fired up like that- _hot_ …" He set his drink aside and pulled her even closer so there was no space between them. "…I can't believe I'm saying this- but think about the potential consequences. For one, what if you got arrested?"

"Then Georgia would be able to say that both her parents have spent a few hours in jail?"

"Hey, I defended you to that jackass, Vince."

"You never did tell me what he said that was worth you, Cory, Shawn, and Jack getting beat up and arrested. It took weeks for your ribs to fully heal."

"What he said was never important. My point is if you got arrested we wouldn't be able to get Georgia tonight and she'd be wondering where mama and daddy are."

Not the Georgia card. "You're not playing fair."

"And I highly doubt you'd ever be asked back to cover Fashion Week again, in New York or anywhere else they throw it."

He had a point. She'd be losing out on a fun job and future big paydays. And while Eric has been nothing but supportive from day one about her decision to stay home with their daughter, it felt good to be contributing financially to their family- even temporarily. She liked having the option for the future. "I guess I would've been shooting myself in the foot."

"Yeah, and all over two dumb models who are very much not worth it. They're not even in your league."

"You think so?"

"Really, especially in this." He ran his hands up her body and traced the skin showing through the cutouts of her dark purple dress. "You're wearing this to drive me crazy, right?"

"That is part of the fun." Angela couldn't help the shiver that went up her spine in response to his touch. "You are all about what's going on in the back of the dress."

"It's not just the back…and not just the dress."

"Ah, you appreciate the cutouts in the front providing ample views of cleavage? Yeah, I was thoughtful that way, wasn't I?"

"Well, yes, but that wasn't what I was…" He trailed off when Angela looked across the club. Eric followed her gaze and saw Manon smile and give the thumbs up. "What does that mean? We're not going to hear about two models found unconscious in a dumpster tomorrow, are we?"

She leaned up to kiss him. "You watch too much TV. No blood, no bruises, no mystery poisons, and nobody unconscious in dumpsters."

"That's…almost disappointing. Almost as disappointing as not seeing you kick some ass."

"A minute ago you were all worried about jail."

"One of us had to think like an adult and be responsible. You know how much I hate when it has to be me, but we were desperate."

"We still have a little while before we have to go back to being full-fledged responsible adults and parents. You want to dance?"

"I'd love to."

They waited until the current song ended before moving to the dance floor. "Oh, Manon thinks she's so hilarious," Angela said with a laugh.

"What?"

"The song."

"What about it?"

"Hello, _The Boy is Mine_? The Brandy and Monica duet?" He looked clueless. "It was everywhere and won a bunch of awards. What did you listen to in the late '90's?"

"Music was just background noise to my pathetic love life. I was too busy trying to get a girl to want me to be hers' to pay attention to anything else."

She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. "It took you a little later than you hoped for, but mission accomplished. I want you to be mine. I want to be yours'."

' _Was it now_ ,' Eric wondered. ' _Was she presenting him with the perfect moment to propose on a silver platter_?' He stared at Angela, unsure if her warm smile and expectant look meant she was waiting for a response or simply enjoying his company. Everything else in the club suddenly became more amplified. The music was louder. The lights flashed brighter. And it seemed much more crowded. He may not yet have an ideal proposal in mind, but he knew this wasn't it. It wasn't her. It wasn't them. He jumped when she touched his cheek. "What?"

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. You look like you're about a million miles away."

He shook his head. "No, I'm here. I'm all here. I was just…thinking about how nice it is to be wanted by you. I'm very lucky."

"You're not the only one who feels like they won the big life lottery. I never imagined that this would be my life. That I would get to have all…" She blinked back happy tears. "…I love you."

"I love you, too." There was a break between songs and the floor cleared slightly. "We're a little sappy tonight," he noted in a light tone. "For us at least."

"I was going to say. It is the first time in a while we've been alone together without Georgia. That probably has something to do with it."

"Probably."

The opening chords of the next song began to play, Babyface's _Every Time I Close My Eyes_. "Would you mind indulging me in a little more sap? I love this song."

"Absolutely. Would you do me a favor?"

"Sure. What?"

"Get a little grabby during the dance," he asked with a sly grin.

Her hands slowly made their way down his back. "Try and stop me."

/

/

"Okay, I give up, where's her off switch? Are there batteries we can remove?" Shawn paced back and forth across the living room while Georgia screamed in his ear. Apparently all of that no crying stuff had gone out the window. Naomi had tried rocking her, but that didn't work. So they traded off.

"I don't know. Angela didn't mention anything about an off switch or batteries."

"Surely she must've said something about a trick she and Eric use or some special bedtime routine?"

She shrugged. "All I know is Angela handles the songs and Eric is the story guy."

"I'm not singing…and I'm not in a story telling mood." He grimaced and moved his head back when the baby let out a particularly loud wail. "Here," he said, handing her to Naomi. "I need some aspirin."

"Grab me some, too." She rubbed Georgia's back and swayed back and forth, humming quietly. "It's okay, Georgia. Your mama and daddy will be back soon." She glanced at the clock. "It's almost eleven…thank god."

/

/

"You know, we never did get a chance to celebrate Valentine's Day," Eric noted. They were on their way to pick up Georgia from Shawn and Naomi's. "I was home and you were here. And no offense, but the date you left me with did nothing but cry all night. It reminded me of how I spent my Valentine's days before I had someone in my life come to think of it."

She kissed his cheek. "I'm sorry about our little crying diva, but it's just a date on the calendar. I don't want us to become one of those couples like Cory and Topanga who act like we _must_ be romantic on that day."

"Is that your way of saying you didn't get me a gift?"

"Of course I got you a gift. I'm just making a point."

Eric rested his hand on her knee. "We didn't get to properly celebrate my birthday either, because again…the crying diva. And then you had to come up here early the next morning." His hand crept up her thigh. "What are the odds we can call and see if Georgia has the most awesome baby-sitters ever who are willing to keep her a few extra hours?"

"Will you pay attention to the road," she said through a fit of laughter. "If it was Cory and Topanga I'd be all for saying we're running a little late, but I would feel weird calling my ex-boyfriend and his fiancée to ask them to watch our baby longer with the ulterior motive of sex. I don't care how solid friendships are. Some lines will forever be too icky to approach let alone cross."

"I hate Cory and Topanga for both having big, early work days tomorrow."

"Yes, damn Topanga's new case and Cory's parent-teacher conferences."

"He's not a teacher. He's a guidance counselor."

Angela leaned over and placed a quick kiss on the corner of his mouth. "I'm sorry, baby. We'll plan a date night soon. Your parents are always angling for more Georgia time. Once I've recovered from being away from her for a whole week maybe we can let them babysit overnight, maybe…maybe an entire weekend."

"Swear to it?"

"Cross my heart," she said, miming the action.

"Don't do that."

"Do what?"

He mimicked her. "Your hands…the holes in the dress…draw my attention to them."

"Not holes, cutouts."

"You say that like it makes a difference."

She ran her hand through his hair before ultimately settling on the back of his neck. "You sound so sad right now, my friend."

"I know. I'm sorry." Eric worked to not close his eyes and lean back into her hand. "It was good feeling like us tonight, you know?"

"I know."

"I love Georgia and I wouldn't trade her for the world, but having a few hours where no one cried or spit up or peed or pooped on me was nice."

"You should stitch that on a pillow: the parenting anthem."

"Oh, and the biting!"

"What?! What biting? Who bit you? Was it one of those models? So help me…turn the car around. Jail or not, I'm kicking their asses!"

He kept his composure long enough to pull into the parking space in front of Shawn's building. After that he couldn't help but laugh. "Who are you calling?"

"Manon. Hey," she yelped when he took her phone away. "What are you doing? And what is so funny?"

"I didn't get bit by any models. I was talking about Georgia. Biting has become her newest party trick since she started teething."

"Oh." Angela stared down at her lap, already feeling the blush creep up her cheeks. "Right. Yeah. She got me good the last few times I've fed her. Not pleasant."

"You want me," he declared in a sing-songy voice.

She crossed her arms and bit back a grin. "Shut up."

"You want me and don't want anyone else to even catch a glimpse." He looked out the window and saw a small group of women walking by. "Ooh, do you think I should open the window and warn them not to look in my direction or risk the wrath of Angela?" She didn't respond. "You know I'm just kidding, right?" He didn't know what to think when Angela unbuckled her seatbelt, then his. After some slight awkward maneuvering over the center console, she was straddling his lap. "Hi," he said in a low voice.

"Hi." She held his face in her hands and kissed him hard, only breaking apart when they needed oxygen. "For the record, it's not the looking or the harmless flirting that I mind. It's the grabby hands and suggestive comments- so disrespectful to the both of us. "

How she was able to go back to rational thought and conversation after a kiss like that, Eric would never know. He's never been that good at compartmentalizing, especially now. Angela was in his lap, the scent of her coconut conditioner was in the air, and he could taste the martinis she'd had to drink at the club. Thought…of any kind seemed beyond him. He figured he should give it his best shot, however. "They creeped me out a little to be honest. Luckily I had my own Lady Hulk ready to go in for the kill." He rested his hands on her hips. "Have I said enough how hot you are when you're in kill mode and ready to kick some ass for me?"

"You may have mentioned it a time or two." She kissed him again, slower this time, not nearly as intense. "I love you and will fight for you any day."

"Ditto." He pressed his forehead against hers' and held Angela tight. "I spent several hours in jail and busted my ribs proving it, remember?"

"Considering we talked about it earlier tonight, yes." She laughed and grabbed Eric's wandering hands. "Hands on the outside of the dress, pal."

"But, I-"

"No…not in the front seat of the car. People will be able to see us."

"What if I recline the seat all the way back?"

"No!"

"I knew I should've gotten tinted windows," he grumbled. "The backseat," he suggested next in a hopeful tone. "It folds down."

"You know, I would, but Georgia's car seat. Do you really want to take the car seat out, fold the seat down, have our fun, and then deal with the aggravation of installing the base of her seat again? Not to mention we put our groceries back there."

Eric growled and hit his head again against the head rest. Installing that car seat had been a nightmare. "You owe me."

"Yes, I do."

"Like…a lot. Between my birthday fun we missed and tonight?"

Angela wrapped her arms around his neck. "I will make it up to you. I promise." When her phone buzzed indicating a text she looked around, trying to find where Eric had tossed it. "That must be Shawn or Naomi." She ultimately found it between the seats. "It's eleven fifteen," she said, reading the text aloud, "and your daughter is wondering where her parents are." She sighed and opened the door. "It's back to reality. Tonight's detour was fun."

"You go. I'll wait here."

"What? I can't carry her and manage all of her stuff by myself, at least not in one trip. There's no elevator here. It's all stairs and I'm wearing four inch heels."

"So get Shawn or Naomi to help you."

"What is your problem?" He was drumming his hands against the steering wheel. "Eric?"

"I can't just jump back to normal after a few hours of you kissing me, teasing me, and threatening to beat up other women- all in _that_ dress." He saw that she still looked clueless. "Do you really not know the effect you have on me? I've been telling you all night how hot you are."

"I don't-" She found herself being pulled back into his lap and instantly discovered the source of the issue. " _Oh_. Sorry. I knew you were into it, but I didn't realize we'd passed the point of no return. Usually you warn me."

"That would've required rational thought."

"Still, you're right. You can't go up to Shawn and Naomi's like this. Very inappropriate."

"There are two choices."

Angela arched an eyebrow. "Two?"

"Either you finish what you started-"

"Eric-"

"I know, wrong place. Or undo it."

"Huh? How the hell does that work?"

"Talk about something completely gross and unappealing. Unarouse me."

Her mind was blank. All she could think of at the moment were things he liked. "This is hard…difficult…sorry. How about this? Think about that disgusting smell coming from the bathroom that took us two days to track down- the wet washcloth that ended up in the cabinet under the sink?"

"That was terrible. Okay, I need a little more."

"Remember when we were at your parents' house for dinner a few weeks ago and Nana Boo Boo called and insisted on telling us over the speaker phone all the details of her bunion surgery?"

He made a face. "Disgusting. Keep going."

"Seriously, nasty sink smell and old lady bunions don't take care of it for you?"

"You underestimate your power."

"How can you...we were eating during Nana Boo Boo's story, too. I've always hated peas, but now I will forever associate them with the dinner where I had to hear about her feet."

"Just one more."

"Umm…oh, I got it: the noise Thor makes when he coughs up a hairball."

Eric covered his ears and shook his head. "Ugh. That's the worst. Thank you. All right," he said with a sigh, "let's go get Georgia."

/

/

Nina tiptoed to the kitchen. The babysitter had just gotten Milo back to sleep and was now giving Calum his bottle. Mommy and daddy had called a little while ago and said they would be home later than they thought because her uncle's date got a flat tire and they were going to help her. After making sure the coast was clear she went to the table. She got one of the chairs and pushed it over to the counter. After checking one more time she climbed up to retrieve the phone- and a cookie for good measure. She jumped down and pushed the chair back as quietly as she could.

The tricky part was finding a place to make her call. Milo was sleeping so her room was out. Evan wouldn't want her to make the call so she couldn't go by him even though he was already asleep, too. And Kelsey was feeding Calum in mommy and daddy's room. She didn't want to go in the closet. Sometimes she had bad dreams about her old mommy making her sit in there when she wasn't on good behavior. Ultimately Nina went back to the kitchen and crawled under the table and tried to hide amongst the chairs.

She pulled the crumpled piece of paper out of her pocket. She hoped she wrote down the right phone number. Mommy caught her with her cell phone before she could double check. Nina had to lie about trying to play a game. She did one more check to make sure she was alone before she began to dial.

/

/

"I'm sorry she cried all night," Angela apologized as she swayed back and forth with Georgia in her arms. They could hear Georgia's screams all the way down the hall, before they even approached the apartment. Now, however, now she was just fussing intermittently.

"It wasn't all night," Naomi reassured her. "Just the last hour or so."

"It's not you guys. She's teething and that makes her miserable. She reaches a point where nothing makes her happy."

"Still, you'll understand if we pass the next time if you ask for babysitters. Or at least wait until she's able to talk and fully explain why she's crying and yelling in my ear."

"Shawn!" She hit her fiancé's arm.

"What? I wasn't the only one popping the aspirin."

"Nah, I get it," Eric chimed in. "It can be pretty maddening when she's crying and you can't figure out why. You feel helpless." He looked at Georgia. Her face was red and tear-stained, and buried in the crook of her mama's neck. She started to settle down the moment she was in her mother's arms, something he knew Angela relished- being the only one able to comfort Georgia- even if she wouldn't admit it. He realized the baby seemed to be moments away from falling asleep. "Should we wait until she's out to get her in the car or…"

"Probably. You guys don't mind, do you? It'll probably only take a few laps around the apartment."

"Whatever it takes so I don't have to hear the cries," Shawn said.

"While we're waiting for Sleeping Beauty to pass out," Naomi began, "why don't you help Eric carry-" She stopped talking when her cell phone began to ring. "Ugh, if that's the hospital…I'm not even supposed to be on-call tonight." She frowned when she saw the caller ID. "It's Jack and Rachel's house," she said to Shawn. "It's a little late for a call from them." The last time they called this late was when Milo was sick and they wanted to double check with Naomi how high his fever had to be before they got concerned. Hello?" Nothing. "Hello? Rachel? Jack?"

"Aunt Nomi?"

The voice on the other end was so quiet, practically whispering. "Nina, Nina is that you?"

"Yes."

"Is everything okay? Why are you calling so late? Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"Please don't tell mommy and daddy," she pleaded. "I don't want to get more bad behavior and get in more trouble."

"Honey, is something wrong?"

"What's going on," Shawn asked, concerned.

Naomi shushed him. "Nina?" She didn't hear anything. "Nina, are you still there?"

"Sorry, I thought someone was coming but it was just one of the dogs."

"Why are you calling past your bedtime?"

"I have a big question for you."

"Ok-"

"Will you and Uncle Shawn adoption me and Evan? And maybe Milo, too, if mommy and daddy changed their minds with him."

She took a seat on the couch, flabbergasted by the question posed to her. She had expected Nina to be calling with what she thought was some flower girl dress emergency that she didn't think could wait. Wasn't that what most five year old girls would consider a big question? "Why do you think your mommy and daddy changed their minds? They love you and your brothers very much. They would never give you up."

"Me and Evan found papers saying they already adoptioned Calum, but only him. Not the rest of us."

"Oh."

"I know we're not supposed to go in daddy's desk, but Evan thought that's where daddy put the Valentines for my class party. He was helping me look for them."

"Why don't you just ask your dad about the papers?"

"No! Then he will know me and Evan went into his desk when we weren't supposed to and we will be in trouble. If we do bad behavior mommy and daddy might change their minds more."

"Nina-"

"Will you and Uncle Shawn please adoption us if mommy and daddy changed their minds? Please?"

The only thing that stopped Naomi from breaking down in tears was the knowledge that it would freak the little girl out even more than she already was. "I promise that Uncle Shawn and I will do everything we can to help us all stay a family, okay?"

"Telephone pinky swear?"

"Telephone pinky swear."

"Okay. I need to go to bed. Goodnight."

"Goodni-" Naomi heard the dial tone before she could finish her farewell. She set the phone aside and stared straight ahead. Shawn, Eric, and Angela were watching and waiting for some sort of explanation, but she had trouble finding the words.

"What's going on," Shawn asked. "What's wrong with Nina?" He listened as she relayed the story, having to pause at a few intervals to keep her emotions in check. "But that doesn't make any sense. Why would she think they changed their minds? I don't get it."

"All I know is you'd better call Jack and figure out what the hell is going on in that house."


	4. Chapter 4

_Yay, so I'm getting a little better at the every two weeks thing- a day early even. This is a long chapter, lots of talking. I hadn't realized how long it was while editing and considered splitting it in two, but there wasn't exactly a spot for it. Oh, well, no one can ever accuse me of being at a loss for words when I have access to a keyboard._

 _As always, thank you so much for your feedback and messages. I appreciate it. :-)_

* * *

"It is so nice to be home," Angela declared before she collapsed on the couch with Georgia in her arms. As soon as she spoke it hit her that she'd never felt that same welcome relief of being _home_ any place else she'd ever lived before. It was a comfort and made her a little sad at the same time. She's lived a lot of places in her life. Before she could get too introspective, Georgia began to squirm and fuss in her arms. Angela smiled at her daughter, knowing she was a big part of what made this home. She unzipped the baby's thin fleece bunting and worked to free her from it. "I wish you were as excited about putting clothes on as you seem to be about getting them off. This had better not be an indication of your future, missy. Then again, daddy would be content to walk around in his underwear all day, so-"

There was a loud crash from the kitchen that startled both her and Georgia. She whipped around and saw that Eric was struggling to bring the rest of the bags from the car in one trip. "What are you doing? I said I'd give you a hand in a minute. I'm just getting Georgia's jacket off and am going to stick her in the pack and play." She lightly bounced the baby up and down and made some funny faces in an effort to circumvent tears. "I know, daddy's being silly, knocking stuff over and scaring us instead of letting mama help."

"I got it," he tried to insist in a not so convincing manner.

She rolled her eyes. "That would be more convincing if your face wasn't turning red. Don't expect any sympathy when you end up with a hernia." He dropped the bags. "Hey, be careful. Some stuff is fragile."

"It's clothes."

"And perfume, make-up, and gifts."

"We got gifts?"

"There might me some stuff for us, but most of it is for Georgia."

Eric tried not to appear too disappointed. "Oh."

"Did you really expect my network of model friends to _not_ gift our daughter with the latest fashions?"

"She's a baby. She'll puke on an expensive outfit just as easily as a cheap onesie."

"I know and I'll probably only break them out for pictures and nice occasions, but it's still a very sweet gesture."

"I know. Sorry I'm being grumpy," he apologized and sat beside her on the couch. "I'm sleepy."

"That's okay, dopey. Sooner or later Georgia has to realize nights are for sleeping, right?" She noticed how he kept looking around the room, like something was missing. "What's up?"

"Have you seen Thor?"

"I thought I heard his collar before you took out the kitchen with our luggage, but-" No sooner does she start to speak, does that familiar jingle ring through the house and Thor is on the couch within seconds. "Speaking of our little orange devil…"

"Hey, he's a good cat."

"It's just an expression. I love Thor." She laughed as the feline went back and forth between his humans, sniffing and soaking up all of the attention he could get. "I think we were missed." Georgia's giggles filled the air when the cat turned his attention to her, rubbing his head against her body. "What's that, Georgia? Is that your Thor?"

"Ooh, no, no," Eric jumped in and removed Thor from the reach of her little hands. "No, we do not grab the cat's tail. That's not nice."

"She's a baby. Odds are that's a lesson she's going to have to learn the hard way no matter how often we tell her. That's how I learned with my grandfather's cat."

"I hate the thought of her learning anything the hard way. That happened to me a lot and it sucked."

"I know, but sometimes that's the only way kids will learn." Angela's phone chimed to alert her to a new message. "I hope that's not your mom wanting us to come to dinner tonight," she said, digging through her purse. "I want a day or two to unwind from the trip. Plus we have to try to get Georgia back on some sort of routine."

"Routine," he scoffed, "we have a girl that laughs in the face of routines. Isn't that right, Georgia?" Angela was frowning at her phone and paying no attention to what he was saying. "What, mom wants us to come to dinner _and_ bring dessert?"

She scanned the email again, trying to process what she was reading. It was from her dad. He said he didn't contact her earlier because he knew she was working and he didn't want to distract her. Angela skipped his gushes over her articles and reread the last part. She knew he'd had a doctor's appointment last week, but thought everything was fine.

"Angela," Eric asked, concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Apparently tomorrow my dad will be starting another round of chemotherapy and radiation and only just decided to tell me."

/

/

"Nina's still sleeping." Jack joined Rachel on the back porch. She moved over to give him room to sit beside her on the swing and they cuddled together under the blanket. Shawn would probably laugh at him for considering the current temperatures cold, but he's been spoiled by the Texas weather. "Most mornings she's up at the butt crack of dawn and chattering away, but today- the day we want her to be awake and talking to us- she sleeps in."

"Didn't some guy named Murphy have a law about that?"

"Probably. Did you call the school?"

"Yes. I said we had a minor family emergency."

"You lied?"

She turned to look at him. "I didn't think it was a lie. Nina- and maybe Evan, too- think we changed our minds about adopting them. That's the very definition of a family crisis."

"I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding."

"She called Naomi and asked if she and Shawn would adopt-"

"I know what she did."

Rachel detected the edge in his voice. "If you're so sure it's a misunderstanding then why are you getting defensive?"

"I'm not...we've done everything right- at least I thought we did."

"We screwed up somewhere. I knew we should've told them when we legally adopted Calum and explained why it happened that way."

"You were the one who told me it would be best to wait, that they could read into it the wrong way if they knew we adopted Calum."

"I was wrong. Who knew they'd go through your desk and find the adoption papers by mistake?"

"Kids get into things."

"You should've hid them better, put them in a lockbox."

"A lockbox? Better yet why not put it in the safe with the gold bars and that check from Ed McMahon we've been saving for a rainy day?"

"Jack..."

 _"Mommy! Daddy!"_

They jumped up at sound of Nina's voice and met her in the kitchen. She was positively frantic. Rachel crouched down to her level. "Nina, what's wrong?"

"I am late for school. The numbers on my clock say eight, two, and one. We always have to be in the car by seven, four, and five. We missed it. Did you forget to set your buzzer to wake up?"

"No, honey, daddy and I didn't forget."

"Then why didn't you wake me up?"

"Because we decided that today is family day. We're all staying home. I'm not going to work, daddy's not checking his computer, and you and Evan aren't going to school."

"But I have to go to school," the little girl exclaimed. "I hafta play with my friends and I don't want to get bad behavior with Miss Pilar for missing."

"You're not going to get in trouble," Jack broke in.

"I'm not?"

"Nope, mommy already called the school and took care of it."

"What about Evan? Did you take care of it for him, too?"

"Of course I did." She picked Nina up and stood to her full height. "Daddy and I thought we needed a day at home: just you, me, daddy, Evan, Milo, and Calum."

"Why?"

Just then Evan came stumbling down the hall, rubbing his eyes and yawning as he went. "Nina, why are you yelling? And it's kind of bright in my room. Did we oversleep or is it Saturday again already?"

"Nope, not Saturday, but mom and I did decide that we're all staying home. We need a family day. There are some things we need to talk about."

Rachel lightly hit his shoulder. She had been hoping for a kinder segues to their conversation. "Jack!"

"No hitting, mommy."

"You're right, Nina. I'm sorry."

"Ha-ha, busted," Jack taunted his wife with a smirk on his face.

"Nobody likes a smart mouth, daddy. That's not nice behavior either."

Darn kids remember everything you say to them. "Sorry."

Evan was automatically suspicious. "Why do we need to talk?"

"Let's get some breakfast first. We have donuts."

"Yay, donuts!"

He trailed behind and wondered why they were going to the living room. They only ate in there on movie nights. Next he spied a big box of donuts on the coffee table. "Those aren't grocery store donuts. They're real. We only get real donuts on weekends."

They were confused by his accusatory tone. "We thought we all deserved a treat today."

Before she could grab her beloved chocolate covered sprinkles, Evan grabbed onto his sister's arm and pulled her back. "Don't."

"But my tummy is all growly."

"It's a trick. Don't you remember the last day we were at Mr. Bruno and Mrs. Carla's?"

"No. Who were they?"

Rachel frowned, not knowing why Evan was bringing up their previous foster home now. "They were the people who took care of you before you came to live with us, Nina."

"Oh, yeah, I remember them a little. They were nice."

"What did Bruno and Carla do, Evan?"

"Before the white van came to pick us up Mrs. Carla made a special breakfast to say good-bye." He stared at the floor, unable to face Jack and Rachel. "They were acting weird just like you guys."

"I don't want to go," she cried, her eyes filling with tears. "Please don't make us go. I promise I will only do good behavior. No more bad."

"Hold on. No one is going anywhere. That's what we want to talk to you about. Come sit here with us." Jack wasn't surprised by Evan's hesitation, but Nina's stung. She wasn't looking at them, but was instead waiting for her brother to make a move. "Please? I promise everything will make sense after we talk." There was a small nod of approval and Nina immediately dashed to the couch, squeezing in between him and Rachel. Evan opted to sit in a chair. Not wanting to waste any more time, Jack pulled out the file containing Calum's adoption papers, which he had stuck under the donut box. "It's okay. I know you know what's in here. I'm not mad you went in my desk."

"How did you find out?"

"That doesn't matter." They'd decided not to let on that Shawn called. While they weren't happy with the reason for it, that Nina knew she could reach out to Naomi and Shawn when she thought there was trouble wasn't a bad thing. They didn't want to break that trust.

"We were just looking for my Valentines, daddy."

"I know."

"Why do the papers say that you adopted Calum already?"

Rachel glanced at her husband before answering the eight year old's question. "Because we did adopt Calum. It happened before he came home from the hospital."

"You went to court? It happened in front of a judge?"

"No, they stuck us in a tiny conference room in the hospital with our lawyer, the social worker, your mom, and her lawyer. The social worker filed the paperwork for us. You guys know Megan. She's the one who would come to talk and visit with you when you first came to live here." She thought that was a more tactful way of saying Megan was supposed to supervise the court-appointed visits Kara never bothered to show up for. She always did her best to distract and cheer the kids up anyway. "She would make sure me and dad were doing a good job."

"She would bring us those cookies and play board games," Evan supplied.

She nodded. "Right, that's Megan."

"But, mommy, why did you adoption Calum and not me, Evan, and Milo? We had you first. I'm sorry if I did bad behavior and made you change your mind."

Jack lifted Nina into his lap. "Nina, trust me, we didn't change our minds. We love you, all of you," he paused momentarily to make sure Evan was paying attention, "very much and we are not giving you up, not for anything."

"Really?"

"I promise."

"Then why Calum first?"

Rachel took over once again. "Do you remember how we said that your mom-"

"Our old mom," Evan corrected.

"-do you remember how we said she came to us and asked, before Calum was even born, if he could come live with all of us here?"

"Yeah."

"That makes it different. She gave up Calum right away. That means that he never lived with her and was never taken from her by the police like you. She never signed any papers saying she was his mom." Trying to explain this in kid terms was more difficult that she thought. "But you and Evan and Milo found us through foster care. That means because your mom signed papers saying you belonged to her and you lived with her for a long time before you were taken away, it's going to take the courts longer. They wanted to give your mom a chance to try to get better to see if she could be your mommy again."

"But she didn't."

"She's trying to get better, but because she loves you so much and wants you guys to have a good life, she decided the best place for you to be is here with us."

"If she gave us up then why don't we just go to court already and see a judge," Evan asked, exasperated. "I'll even wear the ugly, dumb tie from grammy if I have to."

"It doesn't work like that. Unfortunately there are a lot of kids in Foster Care and it takes a long time to schedule court dates for everyone."

"Believe me pal, if it was up to us we would've done it months ago. Like Rachel said, these things take time."

"Why didn't you say anything before?"

"We wanted it to be extra special and have a judge make it official for the entire family at the same time. We should've told you the truth from the beginning. That was our mistake. You're both old enough to handle it."

"So Calum is really yours'? He's your real son now."

"Hey, you are all our kids, all four of you."

"He's the only one no one could try to take away," the boy pointed out.

"Technically speaking, I suppose that's true, but your old mom made the final call and she put it in writing that she wants you to grow up together with us." Again, Rachel was being tactful. She knew there was no kind way to hear that your mother voluntarily signed away her rights and no other biological family was willing or able to step in long term. "Evan, trust me, this family is for keeps. We just need to have a little more patience and a whole lot of faith, okay?"

He slowly moved from the chair and sat beside her on the couch. "I guess."

"Good," she said, wrapping him in a hug.

"And we promise we won't keep stuff about the adoptions from you again. We were wrong to do it with Calum. We made a mistake."

"Daddy?"

"Yes?"

"Can I have a donut now? My tummy is still growly."

Jack laughed in relief. He'd been expecting a complicated, soul-searching question. He opened the box. "Dig in."

"Hey, save sprinkles for the rest of us!"

/

/

Eric moved in slow motion as he laid Georgia in her crib. She stirred when she hit the mattress- he held his breath in anticipation of cries- but fortunately her eyes fluttered closed again and she let out a squeaky sigh of contented slumber. He crept away and tiptoed to his bed. Angela had been in here for a while, unable to cope with the baby's fussiness and general pre-nap behavior after reading the email. She didn't have the greatest reaction when he suggested Georgia was picking up on her tension and told him to take over. "Are you mad at me," he asked quietly. Her back was to him and he didn't know if she was asleep.

"I'm not mad," she responded, not moving. "I'm not mad at you anyway."

He lay down beside her and ran his hand along her back. "Your dad?"

"He knew for a week and he…" She sat up and looked at him with watery eyes. "I guess it doesn't matter. Aunt Trish thought I knew. Dad told her I knew and was…taking it well. He was doing what he always does- whatever he thinks is best, damn how anybody else feels. Why should I expect him to change now?"

"Do you want-"

"Is Georgia sleeping?"

"What? Yeah, she's asleep."

"Does that mean there's an opening in your schedule to be my human pillow?"

Eric's answer wasn't verbal. He simply pulled her close and hugged her to his chest. He couldn't help the smile that came when Angela sighed. It sounded so similar to their daughter's squeaky sleep sighs. "Are you okay?"

She raised her head slightly and placed a kiss on his collarbone. "This is what I needed, thank you."

"You didn't answer my question."

"Right here, right now, lying here with you? Yes, I'm perfect."

"Angela-"

"No. I don't want to talk about it, okay? Talking won't change things so why bother. It just is." She snuggled closer and rested her head over his heart. "All I want from you right now is this. I know I'm safe here. I'm not going to be hurt or betrayed or have the rug pulled out from under me. All you do- all you've ever done- is love me unconditionally. I just want to block out the real world for a while and be here. Is that wrong?"

He kissed the top of her head and held her tight. "No."

/

By the next day Angela wasn't feeling any more at peace with her dad's situation. She thought about calling him, almost did, but then realized he may be in the middle of treatments. After that she broke out her yoga mat. Yoga had helped her manage stress with her dad a few years ago and she was hoping for the same benefits now. It was the only thing that helped to completely clear her mind. She always felt like a new person afterwards.

"Thor, no," she said with a sigh. "The pigeon pose doesn't automatically make me a bird you can pounce." She pushed him a way and tried to reach for a toy without totally breaking pose, but was unsuccessful and toppled to the side, narrowly missing the cat. "Don't meow at me like that. This is your fault."

It seemed as soon as she returned to her mat after properly distracting Thor with a few toys and treat did Georgia start to cry. She lay flat on the floor and groaned before going to the pack and play. "What's the matter, huh? Mama's trying to relax. You were supposed to nap a little longer." The sight of that little tear-stained face and arms outstretched for her broke Angela's heart. It always did, but now she felt worse for feeling frustrated at being disturbed. "Come here, baby." She retrieved her daughter from her nap space and was rewarded by Georgia's equivalent of a hug: she completely relaxed and laid her head on her shoulder. Angela kissed her bald head. "Were you feeling lonely? Daddy's back to work so it's just you and me again. What do you think about that?" Silence. "I know. It'll be less fun, but I think we can manage."

A while later Angela felt like screaming. Georgia was fed, changed, played with, and clearly tired yet cried whenever she was put down. That wasn't unusual and had happened before, but today she started to cry whenever her mother would sit down when holding her. The only thing that kept her happy was to be up and moving. "Seriously, you've got to give me a break here. Could we try being a big girl for a bit? I want to cry, too, but I can't. You see, after a certain age society frowns on a person having a tantrum and acting like they missed a nap." She realized how nuts she sounded and rubbed slow circles on Georgia's back. "I'm sorry, it's not your fault I'm frustrated. Cry your heart out. Mama's not going anywhere."

After twenty more minutes of pacing and crying Angela had another idea. Maybe they needed a change of scenery. Eric did say it was supposed to be nice out today, warmer than what was normal. She and Georgia should get out and take advantage of that. Unfortunately that meant enduring a little more crying.

"I know, I know," she soothed. The baby was in tears and arching against the straps of the stroller, making them difficult to buckle. "But trust me. You're going to love this. Fresh air will do us both some good."

By the second lap around the block there wasn't a peep coming from the stroller. Its occupant was sound asleep. Angela smiled to herself, satisfied that she had come up with a solution that worked for everyone. Georgia was getting much needed rest and she had peace and quiet to think. She did notice that the baby would shift around when she slowed her pace, so she moved faster. They both needed this break.

/

Alan took a seat behind the register and looked at the time. It was approaching dinner and he'd barely been able to take a break. His morning person called in sick and his evening crew were running late. It had been busy for a weekday, but he could hardly complain about that. He was making money. It was safe to say this end of season ski sale was a huge success. Just as he was going for the bag of chips he had stashed behind the counter, the bells above the door jingled. It wasn't a customer or even his employees like he had been hoping. Instead it was Angela and she was pushing his vocal granddaughter in her stroller. "You know, I'm going to start taking it personally if Georgia cries whenever she comes in here."

"I'm sorry, she wouldn't let me do my yoga and I was getting desperate. I popped her in the stroller and she fell asleep. I guess I enjoyed the peace and quiet too much because the next thing I know- when she woke up two hours had passed and I was here."

Alan was impressed that the jumble of words he just listened to had come out in one breath. He was, however, more concerned about the latter part of her statement. "Are you telling me you walked here?"

"Walked, ran…what's the difference?"

"You ran? It has to be ten miles from your house."

"Eight and a half actually, I only know because I have one of those trackers to help me lose the last of the baby weight." Angela removed the blanket she'd had covering the stroller to keep the chill out so Georgia could see her surroundings. "Shh, it's okay. You know where we are. We're at grandpa's store. You like it here." She pushed the stroller back and forth, hoping the motion would once again be soothing. "You helped him make a sale once."

He smiled at the memory. "We sold a top of the line sleeping bag." He came from around the counter and peeked in on his granddaughter. "You want to help grandpa work the register again? My carpooling employees are running late."

"Oh, so we're in the way…right. Like I said, this wasn't planned. When I finally stopped and looked around I realized we were just a few blocks away."

"Better to come here than try to go back immediately."

"I thought so. Still, since you have other things to do let me just feed her and then we'll head back."

He watched as Angela worked to get the buckles undone. They'd looked complicated to him, but she went so quickly Georgia was out of the stroller and in her mother's arms before he could blink. "You don't have to rush, really. It's fine."

She shook her head. "I don't want be in your way. Is there any place I can put this," she asked, gesturing to the baby's mode of transportation.

"I'll stick it in my office." He didn't like how jumpy she was…not paranoid, but clearly something was bothering her and she was on edge. "Are you okay? Anything you want to talk about?" He held up his hand to halt the counters that were already coming. "You're not in the way. There are no customers right now. It's just us. We can talk."

Angela sighed. While the run had helped to clear her mind, it didn't give her the peace she'd been hoping for. She was still twisted up in knots inside. "Actually, I-"

The bells jingled and a couple came in. Alan was tempted to throw them out. When he turned around again Angela was headed for another part of the store. "Angela, you don't have to-"

"Help your customers. I'll be over in women's sportswear showing Georgia her options should she decide to be athletic. We'll cover everything from point guard to goalie to head cheerleader."

She disappeared into the section before he could reply. A few minutes later, when his employees finally arrived, he announced he was going on a break and they were in charge.

/

"I'm sorry," Alan replied, setting her phone on his desk. After getting Georgia settled with the new toy he'd purchased for her- he'd planned to save the exersaucer for Easter, but it was needed now- Angela showed him the email from her father. He didn't know what else to say. I'm sorry felt trite, but it was all he could come up with.

"I-I just don't get it. He promises openness and honesty and swears he'll tell me everything immediately, but then sends me an email with only a days' notice of when he's beginning a new round of chemo? I knew he'd been to the doctor, but not that they'd decided to... Does that sound like openness and honesty?"

He was in awe as Angela continued to pace his office in an almost manic state. She hadn't stopped since she got to the store. Her frenetic movements slowed while she fed Georgia, but even then she opted to walk around. If he'd just run eight miles someone would have bring a wheelbarrow to cart him home. "Sit down. Just watching you is making me anxious."

"I can't. If I stop then I'm not going to want to get up again and I still have to jog back home."

"I'll give you and Georgia a ride. I'm certainly not going to make you run all that way with my granddaughter. It's going to be dark soon and the temperatures will be dropping, making the roads and sidewalks ice up. It won't be safe."

"But her car seat is-"

"Amy and I both have spares for our vehicles just in case, remember?"

"You really don't have to go out of your way to drive us home. I don't want to be a burden...which is what I'm probably being right now, showing up at your place of business and keeping you from customers and all." She went to take Georgia from her new toy.

"Angela, sit down," he ordered as nicely as possible. Alan still felt uncomfortable giving her his usual "tough love" approach to matters like he did with the rest of the kids. Tough love was his go-to. It was how he best knew how to deal with things. People expected it from him. He wasn't sure how to treat Angela in these situations though. While Alan knew she was capable of handling it, tough love never seemed to be what she needed when she sought him out.

"Okay." She did as she was told and practically melted into the couch. The adrenaline seemed to vacate her body as soon as she was off her feet and the muscles in her legs felt like jelly. "Oh, this was a mistake. Georgia may not be the only one you have to carry to the car."

He gestured to her bag of snacks. "Drink your water and eat something. You'll feel better. Between your run and feeding the baby your body is crashing."

"Food...right. You know, I never forgot to feed myself before Georgia came along." The baby seemed to look up with acknowledgement at the mention of her name- which wasn't something she'd ever done before. However, the new, loud toys in front of her were too tempting to give up just for her mother, something for which Angela was grateful. She couldn't have stood up now if she wanted to.

"Yeah, babies take over your life in ways you never thought possible. But I don't know if you can blame Georgia for this one. It's not like she was in the stroller cheering you on, was she?"

"No. Don't get me wrong, she slept and the quiet was a relief, but I'm fully responsible. I was too lost in my own head, thinking about my dad, and kept going."

Alan was relieved to see Georgia was still content to play with her new toy...the toy he picked out by himself. He was sure that would change relatively soon, but at least he'd get some of this out before his granddaughter decided to chime in with her squawking opinions. "Can I say something in defense of your father?"

Angela looked up, surprise fully evident on her face. "You're defending him?"

"Let me explain. Now, I disagree with about 99.8 percent of the decisions he's made in the past few years, but with this I kind of see where he's coming from."

"How?"

"He's your father. That means the moment he laid eyes on you he made a vow to protect you for as long as he was able. I know how that feels. I've made that vow myself: from the first time I saw Eric all the way to the first time I saw Georgia, and many times in between- whether those kids were mine by blood or not and no matter how old they were when we crossed paths. I promised to look out for them for as long as they needed."

"I think I can speak for all of us who aren't yours' by blood when I say we appreciate it."

"Yes, well..." He cleared his throat. "...the thing about this parental promise is knowing when to let go...you don't always know that. I'm sure you want to protect Georgia from everything, right?"

"I'd die before I let anything happen to her."

He nodded in understanding. "Exactly. And you've only had six months on the job. Put yourself in your dad's shoes. True, you guys have had your separations and difficulties, but regardless, for the last...twenty-nine years?"

"Twenty-eight," she corrected. "I'll turn twenty-nine at the end of June."

"Sorry. Every morning for the last twenty-eight years when he wakes up he's clocking in for his job as your dad. Even if that job is now remote and his responsibilities have been drastically downsized, he's still punching that time card every morning."

"Even when he cut me out of his life?"

"Even then."

"What does all this have to do with withholding the information about starting treatments again? No offense, but I never pegged you to be the one from whom Eric's ability to ramble came from. I'm not even going to get into some of Cory's tangents. You're lucky I don't charge you for having had to listen to those."

He chuckled quietly. "I'll get to the point."

"I'd appreciate it."

"He's still your father and he's still trying to protect you, even from things you may not need protecting from. We can't help it, us dads, it comes with the territory. We want to protect from all things real and imaginary. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What have you done since you read his email yesterday?"

"Aside from making sure Georgia's needs were met and avoiding Eric's questions that I'm okay?"

"Yeah, aside from that."

She sighed and ran her hands over her face. "I've pretty much been obsessing and wondering what this means for him and the future."

"So maybe he wasn't completely wrong to wait until you were home."

"Are you out of your mind?! Of course he was wrong. Any fool could see that."

Alan wasn't offended by Angela's choice of words, quite the contrary. After all, she wouldn't be calling him a fool unless she was secure in the tentative relationship they've built over the past year. "Or maybe he knows you well enough to know you'd obsess. And if you had found out earlier, you wouldn't have been able to focus and do your job."

"If I had known about his illness from the beginning maybe I would've developed coping skills for how to handle this. But I don't. How am I supposed to sit here and act like everything is normal?"

"Because it's what he wants. And once you push beyond all of your anger and hurt over what happened in the past and how your dad chose to go about things- which I still believe was wrong- you'll have to accept that he's the one with cancer. It's not about you right now. It's about your dad and whatever will help him get through the treatments move towards recovery."

"Recovery," she asked in a small voice.

"That's the goal, right?"

"Sure, yeah, I suppose."

He frowned. "What am I missing here?"

Angela took one of the pillows and hugged in to her chest. "He said when he was first diagnosed the doctors gave him a year...if he was lucky. That was three years ago."

"And he's still here and fighting. That's a good sign."

"He's still sick. No wondrous recovery, no miracle cure...nothing. Are you going to tell me that's a good sign, too?"

"I don't-"

"He's on borrowed time." Angela took a shaky breath and tried to keep her emotions in check. "Every day he's had beyond that one year expiration date from the doctors is borrowed. The universe is going to come to collect sooner or later."

"That's a pessimistic attitude."

"So I'm a realist with pessimistic tendencies." She used her sleeves to wipe away the stray tears, thankful she'd been able to stop herself from fully breaking down. Still, a few tears came. "Sue me. We can't all be like Eric and view the world through rose-colored glasses."

Alan looked around his office for tissues, but all he could find was a roll of paper towels. "Here," he said as he joined her on the couch. "Sorry, this is all I have. It's extra absorbent, if that helps. "

"That's okay. You gotta live up to the Brawny paper towel guy image to match the store." She ripped off a few sheets. "This bites."

"No doubt about that, take it from one realistic pessimist to another- it sucks. But if I may, can I offer one tiny bright spot?"

"You can try."

"The doctors wouldn't be attempting more chemo and radiation if they didn't think there was still a chance it could work, right? They'd cease treatment if there was no hope."

"I never thought about it like that."

"And your dad is a very proud man. That pride contributed to him lying to you. He wouldn't take treatment if he was looking at a lifetime stuck in bed, hooked up to tubes."

"No, he definitely wouldn't want to be seen like that, have people worrying and taking care of him. He wouldn't want to be a burden." In his email he'd mentioned to Angela putting a pause on his nightly Skype visits with Georgia- just a week...maybe a little longer, until he recovered from the side effects of the chemo. He asked that she text or email pictures instead. She'd wanted to argue that Georgia was just a baby and wouldn't care or even notice what he looked like, but now Angela was realizing she was the one her dad didn't want to face like that. "To be honest, that's the only thing stopping me from grabbing Georgia and getting on the first plane to Las Vegas."

"Good for you for respecting his wishes."

A loud squeal followed by a continued line of gibberish captured her attention. Georgia was having an animated conversation with the mirror. Whether she recognized her own reflection or thought it was another baby remained to be seen. "Oh, boy, talking to the mirror? Definitely takes after her daddy," she said with a chuckle. "I should record this for him." She dug for her phone.

"I can't get over how fast she's growing."

"She is. Too fast." Angela was watching her daughter through the camera when a sad realization hit her: odds were against her father being around to see Georgia grow up. She stopped recording and dropped the phone to her lap. "I hate this," she whispered.

Alan assumed she was talking about Georgia growing. "Yeah, but at least the older they get the more you can understand-" He stopped talking when he heard her sniffles and realized she was crying. "Are you okay?" He'd never been especially comfortable with crying. She wasn't hysterical or sobbing, just crying quietly as she watched her baby play. "Angela?"

She shook her head. "I'm fine. I'm sorry." She took a deep, steadying breath and wiped her eyes. "It's just that Georgia is so young and my dad might not…she won't remember."

Alan wrapped a tentative arm around her shoulders and was a little surprised when she slumped against his side and laid her head on his shoulder. "I think you're getting a little ahead of yourself- and not in a good way. It's one thing to prepare for the worst, but you've got to leave yourself a little hope."

"I've spent so many years conditioning myself to not get my hopes up where my parents are concerned. Now I've finally found something stronger than the army that could take my dad away."

He hugged Angela a little tighter. "If you're having trouble finding hope for your dad, maybe you can find a little hope for Georgia's grandfather. Their relationship isn't tainted with lies and broken promises. They have a clean slate. There's nothing but hope there."

Her eyes once again fell to her daughter, who this time seemed to sense she was being watched and looked up at her mother with a wide grin that showed off her two new teeth. "Mama sees you, baby," she spoke softly and offered a small smile of her own. "God, how does she always seem to know when I need a smile?"

"Babies are very in tune with the ones they love the most."

She pulled away from Alan and wiped her eyes. "I'll try to be more optimistic about my dad, but it's hard. I've done the research on his type of cancer."

"All you can do is try and remember he is a very strong, stubborn man. He's got you and Georgia to live for. That's a lot."

"Thanks for listening. I didn't mean to show up and dump all this on you. I'm sure you had shipments to order, customers to help, or-"

Alan waved off her concern. "I'm always here if you need to talk. Me and Amy both, we're not going anywhere."

"I appreciate it."

"Come on, I'll give you a ride home."

"But don't you have to be here?"

"I have employees now, remember? They're closing up for me tonight."

"Only if you're sure it's not an inconvenience."

"I'm sure. And you are never a burden or an inconvenience. Remember that. In fact, I'll feel better giving you a ride. This way I don't have to imagine you wiping out on the ice and sending the stroller flying down a hill and into oncoming traffic."

She smiled again. "Thank you. Do you think you could get Georgia out of that thing?"

"Your legs still sore," he asked. He got up from the couch and moved to pick up the baby.

"Like hell, but that's not it. I don't want to be the one to rip her away from her new favorite toy."

"Sure," Alan scoffed humorously, "make me the bad guy."

/

/

When Eric came home that night he was surprised to find Georgia asleep in her crib. Teething had completely derailed any progress he and Angela had made towards getting their daughter to realize that sleep was good and sleeping at night was even better. Though he had to admit she came by her night owl tendencies honestly. He and Angela would never be described as morning people. It was hardly a surprise their daughter felt the same.

After ditching his suit jacket and tie he tried to locate Angela. The bathroom door was wide open and the light was on, so there was no mystery. He knocked lightly on the doorframe and waited for her to acknowledge him before entering. Witnessing labor and childbirth had pretty much removed any mystery that was left between them, but that didn't mean she wasn't entitled to her privacy. Eric found her in the Jacuzzi with the jets going, music playing softly, and her eyes closed. "Hey," he said, sitting on the edge of the tub.

"Don't be upset, but I'm seriously thinking of leaving you for whoever invented the Jacuzzi. They're a genius. These jets? Awesome."

He laughed, not expecting that response. "I don't blame you. Jacuzzis rule. Just promise me if you find the guy and become Mrs. Jacuzzi you'll get him to give me a discount on a huge one for the backyard."

"We're not putting one out there for the millionth time, but since this is a hypothetical world- sure, biggest one on the lot. Top of the line."

"Cool." He leaned forward and brushed a few strands of hair out of her face. "Did Georgia give you a hard time tonight?"

"No, she was great. She was so chill and relaxed, didn't cry nearly as much as the past few nights." It was almost enough to make her wonder if the baby sensed she needed a break after they got home. "Georgia was as close to perfect as a teething infant is capable of being."

"Ooh, so this is the start of you making up your little tease in New York? I like how you think. Nothing says I'm sorry and let's celebrate a sleeping kid like a tub for two."

She forced her eyes open in time to catch him working on the buttons of his shirt. "I'm sorry, but I can hardly move right now. I don't think I'd be much fun."

"You can't move? Did you hurt yourself? Are you sick?" He put his hand on her forehead.

"I'm not sick," she insisted as she removed his hand from her face and held it tight in her own. "I'm just suffering the side effects of my own stupidity."

"What do you mean?"

"After you went to work I was still thinking about my dad. I broke out my yoga mat and tried to get into that place where I block everything out, but of course that's when Georgia went into diva mode and Thor thought it would be fun to crawl and jump on me."

"I thought she loves it when you guys do the stuff from your Mommy and Me yoga classes."

"With the frame of mind I was in I needed a solo session. I didn't want her to pick up on my anxiety and like I said, I needed to get lost in my head for a while. But since that didn't work out and I had it on good authority from a certain weather guy that it would be warmer today-"

"Me, right?"

"I'm not giving up my source," she teased. "Anyway, since it was warmer and the sun was shining, I decided to use that nice jogging stroller we got at my shower for its intended purpose, not just lazy walking around the park."

"Lazy walking is strolling," he pointed out. "And let me guess, Georgia hated the stroller and cried?"

"Nope, she loved it…at least I think. Being out in the fresh air calmed her down and she was asleep within minutes. I decided to take advantage of the quiet and just started to run."

"I didn't even know you ran for exercise."

"Oh, I don't, not at all. But you see, between enjoying the quiet and actually being able to zone out I forgot that I am not a runner. I don't know what happened. Maybe I reached that runner's high people talk about? One minute I'm doing laps around the neighborhood and the next I don't recognize a thing. I had no idea where I was or how long I had been running."

"Angela-"

"I know, stupid. But don't worry, I got my bearings and realized I was near your dad's store."

"The store? But that's not close. It's a lot of miles away."

"Eight and a half to be exact."

"No wonder you're sore."

Angela nodded. "I figured since I was so close it was smarter to head there than to try turning around."

"Good. Did dad drive you and Georgia back," he asked, already knowing the answer. Eric knew his dad and how he'd react.

"Yeah, after a while. Obviously by the time I got there Georgia was crying to be fed so I took care of that. Then your dad wanted to show off this new toy he bought for her- some jumperoo or exersaucer type thing with all these musical instruments and a mirror."

"Is that what that thing was that I almost tripped over behind the couch?"

"Oops, sorry, I meant to move that. But the main thing is she _loves_ it. I've never seen her so happy and entertained for so long."

"I bet the old man was thrilled."

"He was. It came in handy, too, so we were able to talk for a little bit and she was occupied."

"What did you talk about?"

Angela hesitated a little before answering, "I told him what's going on with my dad."

"How did that go?"

"He didn't really make me feel better, but talking to him did help."

"Good…I think, even if you're not feeling better."

"Are you mad?"

"No, not mad, but…" Eric paused, trying to pinpoint what he was feeling. "I wish I was able to help you with this."

She sat up slightly and reached for his other hand. "You do, trust me. More than you know. When I first read the email and you were just there with me and held me? That was exactly what I needed."

"But talking it out?"

"I can't explain it. It's just a perspective you wouldn't have been able to provide."

"I don't quite understand what that means, but I'll try to accept it."

"Thank you." Angela flashed him a grateful smile before she painstakingly raised a foot out of the water to inspect her toes. She was long past the point of turning into a prune. "You know, I do have one problem you can help me with. Just remember I'm very sore and not up for any kind of fun tonight."

"What is it?"

"Could you get me out of here," she asked, almost laughing at the absurdity of the situation. "I put my robe and towels over there." She pointed to the counter behind him.

"Sure." He grabbed her robe and set it on one of the steps leading to the tub. "Can you stand at all- like if I set you on the rug will you be okay or do you need to go to the chair or bed?"

"I can stand and walk- though at this point I'd lose a footrace to a turtle. It's just getting up and out of the tub. I tried earlier and I swear my legs felt like lead."

"What if Georgia woke up before I got home?"

"Then I would've used her cries to summon superhuman strength like those moms that lift cars off of their kids."

He nodded. "At least you had a fool-proof backup plan. Of course it sounded like one of _my_ fool-proof backup plans. Then again they do say the longer a couple is together the more alike they become."

"That's okay. I don't think it would hurt me to be a little more like you sometimes."

Eric put his hands over his heart. "That's the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me. Can I get that in writing? I want proof to show Feeny someone said it."

"I'll hire a skywriter if means you get me out of this water sooner. Please," she added.

"And now you're back to being you."


	5. Chapter 5

_I am so sorry for the wait. Life has been hectic lately, though mostly for good reasons. I recently adopted a dog and she has severely cut into the time I've had to edit chapters. Luckily she's pretty smart and her training is coming along and she's acclimating quite nicely, so I'm slowly starting to get back into my routine. I hope to have no more month long delays._

 _This chapter is mostly lighthearted since the previous one was on the more emotional side. More characters are involved as well._

 _Thanks for all your reviews. I'm terribly behind in commenting on them, but I plan to get to those soon as well. Thank you for your continued patience. :-)_

* * *

"Georgia, no," Eric said, chuckling at his daughter's attempts to eat. "You can't eat it by pushing the food through your face. It has to go in your mouth, silly." He gave into his laughter when she shoved an avocado covered hand into her mouth. "I guess we'll be watching you around the guacamole and chips until you have a few more teeth, huh? Wait until mama finds out."

"Finds out what?" Angela came further into the kitchen. She had been observing from just outside the doorway. Nothing made her happier than watching the two of them. She had something important to discuss with Eric, but it could wait a while longer. "Oh, my goodness," she exclaimed. "What the heck happened?" Her baby was green.

"Georgia loves avocados."

"I'll say. What's the orange stuff in her eyebrows...and eyelashes?"

"I gave her what was left of the steamed carrots- still a fan."

"Good, the more foods she likes the better." She and Eric had decided to try the baby-led weaning technique when it came to slowly introducing Georgia to solid foods instead of purees via jarred food. She loved using her hands and putting things in her mouth, it seemed only natural to let her attempt to feed herself. It was messier and they did get some odd looks from the grandparents, but it worked for them for now. If it stopped working they'd try something else. "It looks like she's made her very first face mask." Angela lightly rubbed a couple fingers over a clean patch on Georgia's head. "Good girl, baby. Avocado is very good for the skin. In a few days we'll try sweet potatoes and you can make a mask with them, too. They're also good for moisturizing your hair…whenever you grow some. Mama can teach you about all that when you're older."

"Most of her time has been spent trying to shove the food into her face."

She snapped a few pictures with her phone. "These can be the daily shots to text friends and family. Speaking of family, I talked to Aunt Trish this morning before I came down and I've been thinking it might be a good idea if I-"

Georgia slapped her hands on her high chair tray and let out a string of high-pitched, happy squeals. Eric looked down and realized how much food he was wearing. "Uh-oh, didn't think I was going to need a bib, too."

Angela stood back a safe distance from the spatter zone. "I'll buy us some smocks. I see you helped yourself to one of my hair scarves."

"Do you mind? I didn't want to get food in my hair since I have to go to work later."

"You didn't touch the silk ones, so it's fine."

"That's not a mistake I'll make twice."

"I wasn't that bad."

"If you say so, right, Georgia?" His reply was more baby giggles and slapping of her tray, which sent food directly into his eye. "Ah!"

"Maybe we should add goggles to our list of safety equipment to wear. Dining with her is like being front row at Blue Man Group," Angela responded, fighting back laughter as she handed him a damp towel.

"You do it. I'm blinded."

"It's just mushed carrots. They're good for your eyes, actually."

"For my eyes, yes, _in_ my eyes…please," he whined and held up the towel to her.

She rolled her eyes at how dramatic he was being. "You do realize you're making the baby look more mature than you at the moment, right? You know- the six month old sitting over there wearing nothing but her breakfast and a diaper?"

"I can live with that. I'll look at it as my way of boosting her self-esteem." He winced when Angela ran the cloth over his eyes. "Careful. I need to look pretty on TV for my job."

"Silly me, here I thought your job depended on your knowledge of the weather and the ability to deliver the information."

"How many uggos do you see on TV- even on the news?"

"Okay," she relented, "you win. Pretty helps in your job."

"I win? Cool."

"When do you lose? We don't have disagreements where there's a winner or loser. We discuss things and compromise as needed. I didn't realize there was a scorecard involved."

"It was just a joke." Eric took the towel away from his eyes but held onto her hands. "What were you saying a few minutes ago about talking to your aunt?"

"It can wait. We should get her cleaned up."

"You sure?"

Angela nodded. "It'll be easier when she's napping." She turned her focus back to Georgia, who now had her head down and was rubbing her face along the tray of her high chair. "Really, kid? Where did you learn these table manners?"

"If I remember correctly, your baby pictures showed you wearing bowls of oatmeal on your head. She probably got it from you."

"I think she's spending too much time watching Thor rub his face on things."

"This is a job for the tub, not the wipes. As soon as she…well, the both of us are clean I'll show you the belated Valentine's presents I got you guys."

"Is that what that box on the couch is?"

"Yep, they finally came."

"They? You didn't go overboard, did you?"

"No- at least I don't think so."

Angela had no idea what that meant, so she decided to stick to their current predicament. "Let me get a few more pictures first. Blackmail for when she's older and a teenaged pain in the butt."

"Very evil," he noted with a grin. "I like it."

/

/

"You have Trish's phone number, right?"

Amy looked up from the grocery list and stared at her husband with a blank look on her face. She hadn't even heard him come in from taking Josh to school. "Angela's aunt?"

"Do we know another Trish?"

"I don't know. I'm sure we must...or at least another Patricia anyway." She found her phone to search for the number. "Why do you need to get a hold of her?"

"Because Alvin started a new round of cancer treatments this week and I wanted to see how he was doing."

"Oh, no, that's too bad. How did you find out?"

"Angela came by the store last night. She seemed pretty rattled by the whole thing so we talked for a while and I drove her and Georgia home." He shook his head. "Our granddaughter is growing too fast. And can you believe Angela ran all the way to the store from hers' and Eric's house? That's eight and a half miles. That is how distracted she was. She just put Georgia in the stroller and started to run- lost all sense of everything. I'm just glad she ended up close to the store when she snapped out of her runner's trance, I think is what she called it when Georgia woke up crying to be fed."

"Angela could've come here if she needed to talk."

"I don't think she realized she needed to talk," Alan pointed out. "Besides, it would've been a few miles further for her to run."

"Oh…right."

It was impossible to miss the weirdness in her tone and the odd look on her face. "What's wrong?"

"Huh? Wrong?" Amy went back to her grocery list. "Nothing's wrong. I'm just making a list for the store. Are we still good with milk? Josh inhales everything so quickly these days. I swear it takes me back to Eric and Cory's younger years. It's a miracle they left any food for the rest of us."

"I grabbed two gallons on my way home last night." He finished preparing his coffee and joined his wife at the table. "Come on, what's wrong? You're acting like you're upset Angela came to talk to me."

"No, I'm not upset, but…I'm here, too. Why does she always go to you? It seems whenever there is an issue with her dad she talks to you."

"Before I say anything, is it even going to be worth pointing out how hypocritical it sounds for you to be saying this after what you said to me about Eric coming to you about needing help with Georgia?"

"It may not end well for you."

"Okay, then I will leave it at this: I am a father. Angela needed insights about fathers. You get her when she needs help with the mom and baby stuff, but when it comes to the deep, dark, personal dad issues? That's my area. You can't help her there."

"But I want to."

"I know, but there are some things you're just never going to get. And I don't mean in a mom vs. dad, man vs. woman thing. I mean in the same way that I hope Eric never understands these issues."

She put her hand on his arm. "He won't. None of the kids will." It wasn't often Alan talked about his issues with his father- not that he was talking about them now- but she knew it would forever bother him that they were never able to fix things before he died. The man had impossible expectations that no one person could ever live up to. It was those same impossible expectations held by his father that set the tone for Alan being so easy on Eric. It was only when he was a little further along into parenting that he was able to be stricter and enforce rules. "Alan, you are an excellent father."

He leaned his head against his wife's shoulder. "Yeah, well…the fact remains that Angela has been dealing with parental trauma for most of her life. Our issues may be different, but I can see where she's coming from a hell of a lot easier than you can."

"Maybe, but I can still act as a fairly respectable sounding board."

"I'm not arguing with you there, but Angela's got Eric to be her sounding board."

"Lumping me in with him," she teased in a tone that was both sarcastic and sympathetic.

"Hey, you soundboard people are very important. You keep us people with issues from losing our damned minds."

"You do realize you just implied Eric was the saner person in his and Angela's relationship, don't you?"

"I never said it was a perfect analogy, but they do tend to balance each other out. He always seems to reel in his crazy and let her be the out of control one when needed."

"They do manage to find that balance most of the time." Amy sighed and reached for her phone. "I'll get Trish's number for you and I promise I'll wait for Angela to say something. I won't ask."

"That would probably be best."

/

/

"It's just…I don't know." Topanga blew out an exasperated breath. Normally she didn't have this much trouble putting her feelings into words, but right now she was struggling to pinpoint what was bothering her.

"It's okay, Topanga," Dr. Kelly encouraged. "Take your time. We still have most of our hour left. Cory can talk for a while." She turned to her other patient. "Cory, how have things been going?"

He shrugged. "Fine."

"Just fine?"

"Pretty much. Nothing's gone terribly wrong, but there hasn't been anything super exciting either. We finally unpacked at the townhouse. That was driving Topanga nuts, I know."

"How are you both coping with the commute? I know that was one concern about moving."

"It's not too bad for me. And Topanga leaves after the worst of the rush is over, right?" When she didn't answer he looked over at his wife and saw that she was staring into space and chewing on her bottom lip. Something was on her mind. "Topanga?"

"Malaise!"

Cory and the doctor glanced at each other. "What?"

"Topanga, honey, what are you talking about? I didn't study for this test."

"No, that's what I'm feeling," she exclaimed, relieved to have found a word to match her mood. "Malaise, melancholy, stuck in the doldrums-"

"Now it sounds like you're spouting off Jeopardy categories." He patted her knee. "Okay, okay, we get it. No need to prove you actually read that thesaurus on the bookcase in your office."

"All right, Topanga, why do you feel- as you put it- stuck in the doldrums?"

"We're not doing anything."

"Can you elaborate?"

"Everyone else is doing stuff. Shawn and Naomi are getting married in three months so obviously all of their spare time is going towards last minute planning and we are helping in any way we can. Eric and Angela have a kid and building their family. Our friends Jack and Rachel in Texas are fostering and hoping to adopt four siblings. Cory sister is away at college and doing all kinds of exciting stuff. One of my coworkers…no, not just coworker, she's a friend, but she is moving to Ireland because it's always been her dream."

"Really, who?"

"Susanne."

"Oh, I know you're going to miss her." Cory knew Topanga and Susanne had grown close over the years. The woman had mentored her as she climbed the ladder at the firm.

"Susie just decided that life is short. Go for it."

"That's insane. You can't just uproot your family and responsibilities to flitter off to wherever."

"She's divorced and her youngest started college. There's nothing keeping her in New York anymore."

"So…what are you saying? You want to move to Ireland?"

"No, but I want us to do something! We're just existing and living our day to day lives. Don't get me wrong, that's great and I love you, but when I look around and see everyone doing all this stuff…"

"You start to feel kind of how I felt these past few years? Stuck in a rut and standing still?"

She nodded. "I'm sorry, Cory."

"That's okay. We'll come up with a list of things we want to do together. And don't forget we're planning a vacation after Shawn and Naomi's wedding."

"Time out," Dr. Kelly called, giving the traditional signal for a timeout request in sports. "Do you honestly think there's something wrong with the two of you _right now_?"

"Isn't there?"

"Topanga, you said it yourself. You're living your lives. Yes, maybe it's not exciting and glamorous, but who promised you that every day would be?"

"Well-"

"But we just-"

"I'm going to ask you both something and I want you to be completely honest with me and each other."

The couple looked at each other. It always made them nervous when the doctor phrased things that way. It usually meant they wouldn't like the question. "Okay," they answered in unison.

"Are you happy?"

Cory was the first to answer. "Yes. Don't get me wrong, things aren't perfect and there's still a lot of work we need to do, but compared to where we were last year, both in terms of our living situation and our relationship? Yes, I'm happy…no, thrilled."

"Don't overdo it, sweetie. She's a doctor. She'll see right through you."

"Okay, mark my official answer as: really happy," he corrected.

"Topanga?"

"Yes, of course I'm happy, but more than anything I'm proud. We clawed our way out of the hole we dug ourselves in. I think a lot of people in our situation would've given up, but we didn't." She reached for Cory's hand. "We couldn't. We're Cory and Topanga. We go together like…like…"

"Like Cory and Shawn!"

Topanga threw her hands up. "Not quite where I was going, but thank you for giving Dr. Kelly a preview of what we may be discussing in the future."

The doctor chuckled. "I'll get to my point before we drift too far off track. What I was going to say is that anyone can put on a smiling face and be happy and in love in the big moments. That's easy when there's an emotional high involved. Where you are right now- that's when it gets real. Most of your life is the time spent in between the big moments where you are doing nothing but going about your day to day lives. That's when you show what you're really made of. Are there going to be periods where it's boring and monotonous? Of course, but that's true for anybody.

"You two are coming down from an emotional high in reclaiming your marriage and also buying your home. After the series of lows you experienced prior to that I can understand your fear of monotony and a few late nights at work leading to the lows, but that doesn't have to be the case."

"What do we do to stop worrying?"

"If I told you that then it wouldn't be your homework for next week, would it?"

/

/

"Do you like it?"

"This is the best gift you've ever given me…after Georgia of course," Angela added, glancing at the baby who was now sound asleep in her arms. She leaned her head back against the recliner and sighed, letting the chair massager work its magic. "Seriously, it's perfect. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I had no idea what to get you since you've nixed jewelry, but I know on Georgia's crazy hungry days your back gets all knotted up if you sit for too long feeding her."

"Now you've made it so I may never want to get out of this chair again."

"It works even more since you tried to be a marathon runner."

"I still can't believe I did that," she grumbled with a shake of her head, "so stupid."

"People have done crazier things when they were upset." Eric sat down on the floor in front of the chair. "Speaking of things that may upset you- not that I'm trying to- but you mentioned earlier that you talked to Trish?"

Her gaze once again fell to the baby and she took a deep breath. "Yeah."

"What about?"

"First of all, if this is going to be a problem, please let me know, because I hate the thought of not only being separated again from Georgia so soon, but also leaving you. And it's not fair of me to put all of her care on you for days at a time and-"

"Did you get another job offer you're interested in? Angela, you know I'm always going to support you working. If I can't take more time off, maybe we can work something out with my parents."

"No, no, nothing like that. It's my dad. I want to go see him this weekend." She was surprised when Eric stood up and carefully took Georgia from her arms and deposited her into her crib before returning. Then he pulled her out of the chair and sat down before pulling her back down to sit in his lap. "What are you doing?"

"This seems like a conversation that's going to end with you needing a hug."

She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest. "You sure you didn't just want to get in on this massager?"

"It's a plus," he said, holding her tight. "Why do you think you'd need to leave us alone? We can go with you."

"Dad's immune system is compromised with the treatments so interacting with a baby might not be a good thing for him right now. As it is I may have to wear a mask around him since I'm with Georgia so much and who knows what germs people on planes carry."

"Are you sure you don't want us to come with anyway and just hang out in a hotel? This way you're not alone."

"Part of me is saying yes, that I need you with me, but it's just the weekend. I was thinking of flying out late Friday night or early Saturday after you're done with the late news and then come back Sunday night. It wouldn't be worth putting Georgia through all that traveling and two plane rides for just a weekend."

"I can ask my parents to watch her and I'll go with you."

She covered his hand with her own and squeezed it tight. "As much as I appreciate that offer I don't think Georgia is ready to be away from the both of us longer than one night. Especially when she's teething, clingy, and grumpy. She needs at least one of us to be here with her."

"I don't want you dealing with all this alone, but if you're sure that's what you want-"

"I'm not sure about anything anymore." She closed her eyes and tucked her head under his chin. "Actually, I take that back. I'm sure about you and us, about Georgia...our family- everything that happens within these four walls- that I'm sure about. That I believe in. It's everything else that makes me want to hunker down with those Y2K, end of days rations and just never leave the safety of you and this house again."

"What do you think I've been telling you all this time? It's nuts out there."

"You're right, this is the only place that makes sense."

"Cool, I get to be right twice today." He caught her look. "Still joking."

"Really, because that's the second time you've said it."

"It's nice hearing I'm right every once in a while. Not just from you, from anyone. It beats people telling me I'm crazy."

"But I thought you liked the crazy. You embrace it when people say it."

"That depends on who says it. Some people use crazy as code for stupid."

"Who? Give me names."

He kissed her cheek. "It doesn't happen much anymore, but well…I've heard it enough times over the years to know the difference between crazy fun and crazy stupid."

"And when I call you crazy or goofy you know that I don't-"

"Please," he scoffed, "I know you mean it in the good, fun way. Now let's get back to my awesome presents. Don't you want to see what else I got Georgia?"

"It wasn't just the sensory ball?"

"Nope, I just took that out first because she'll have fun with it. The rest of it is for our entertainment."

"You see, you say things like that and I have no clue where you're coming from."

"And that's where the good crazy comes in. It keeps you on your toes." Eric grabbed the box he'd placed on the floor beside the chair. "It's nothing big, but they're cute and I had more fun picking out baby clothes than I ever thought possible."

"You bought her clothes?"

"I figure this is the only time I'll be able to buy a girl clothes and not risk completely screwing it up. Don't get too excited, though. I didn't go nuts with full outfits, just funny onesies and T-shirts. I already know what they say, so you can take them out." He really just wanted to see her reaction to each one.

Angela dug into the box and took the onesie on top. " _When the zombies come, I'm so tripping you_ ," she read aloud. "Nice."

"We've got to put those crawling skills to use."

" _Don't look at me. It was the cat._ "

"It will come in handy the next time we try to figure out where the smell is coming from."

The next couple of shirts were also cat related. All made her laugh. "Let's see," she said, coming to the next one. " _I can't pants today._ " She looked at him. "Aw, just like daddy."

"If you can't walk around the house in your underwear, where can you?"

" _I have the best mama in the world_ ," Angela read, speaking softly.

"You can't argue facts."

She leaned forward for a kiss. "Thank you. Okay, onto the next one before I turn into a weepy, emotional mess. Seriously? This won't make the tears go away." She held up the next in the pile. It read: _Daddy's Greatest Blessing_.

"Don't be jealous. It's a tie for first between the two of you."

"That's okay. I'm willing to share the title with her."

"Go on, there should be two more."

"Wow, you did have fun picking out baby clothes."

"It's not my fault there's so many funny ones out there."

Angela held up the next shirt and stared at him, mouth agape. "You didn't."

"Tell me it's not true. I dare you."

"We can't parade our daughter around Philadelphia wearing a shirt that says: _I am the product of a foxy couple_."

"Why not? We're very attractive people. Put us against any other couple and we will kick ass."

"We just can't."

"Not good enough. Come on, you know it's cute. Look, there's even little foxes on it."

"Okay, fine, but if anyone asks I'm so telling them you bought it."

"You won't have to. I'll be bragging," he stated with a smile. "Go on. There's one more."

"Now I'm afraid."

Eric held up the final onesie. "I think it suits her. Don't you?"

" _Sleep is for losers_. How sweet. You found her personal anthem."

/

/

"Oh, my god, Shawn, just pick one!"

"I said I'll be happy with whatever you decide. It's your choice."

Naomi fought the urge to throw at pillow at his head. For the past two weeks she'd been trying to get her fiancé to sit down and select a photo for their Save the Date cards which had to be out by the end of the week. Instead of helping, Shawn kept trying to deflect the responsibility to her. "You're a photographer. You mean to tell me that you have absolutely no opinion about the photo that is chosen?"

He shrugged, not understanding why she was getting so upset. "Not really."

She stared at him for several long moments before picking up his tablet. "Okay then."

Shawn felt the hairs on the back of his neck go up. Her tone was positively icy and meant only bad things for him. "What are you doing?"

"There's a picture of us from Nina's birthday party a few months ago that would be absolutely perfect."

He reached for the tablet, only to have her yank it back. "Not the one with the _My Little Pony_ face paint."

"Well, seeing as you don't care what picture I pick- why not?"

"How about because we look like two escaped circus freaks?"

"So maybe you care a little?"

"I can't send pictures of me covered in _My Little Pony_ to the trailer park." Shawn wasn't inviting very many people from the Hunter side- Uncle Mike and his kids were pretty much it aside from Jack- but the pictures were still going to get around. He'd never hear the end of it. "You know that."

"Then help me pick…or else you may be sorry."

"Sorry? Sorry how? I don't know what that means."

"I invited Cory and Topanga to come over after work for dinner tonight to help us choose. I told Cory you just haven't been feeling the wedding spirit lately." Naomi had to fight to keep the smile off her face for that last bit of information.

"Why the hell would you do a thing like that?! You know when he gets into the zone Cory can be worse than any bridezilla." He paced around their small living room. "Now I'm going to have to listen to him tell me about the wonder and romance of weddings."

"Because that would be so terrible?"

"I didn't mean it like that. I just-" He took a deep breath. "This is happening very fast."

"We're coming up on our sixth anniversary in April- just over one month away for you. This wedding is not fast."

"That's not what I'm talking about. It seems like just the other day we still had ten months to plan and now it's down to three."

"I know. There's still a million things to do. I got the crane count today and we're only at 657. We need 1001 by the wedding day."

He knew the 1001 paper cranes was one tradition Naomi wanted to have at the wedding. She went from keeping a monthly crane count from friends and family making them to several times a week. "It'll get done," he said, sitting beside her on the couch.

"I still need to make Nina's flower girl dress."

"Buy one. Make it easier on yourself."

"I can't. She's looking forward to helping me make it. Besides, we've already worked out a design. I can't bear the thought of letting her down."

Shawn wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "You looked at her with those eyes- that was your first mistake. Nina can get anyone to do anything with those eyes."

"She knows it, too."

"So the cranes, the flower girl dress, not to mention your grandma can't seem to get that we're not wearing kimonos…me being an ass about this picture is only adding to your wedding stress, is it?"

"You're not helping."

"Sorry."

"Just tell me why. Why are you being so stubborn?"

"I'm not having second thoughts, so don't even worry about that." Shawn didn't feel comforted when she relaxed against him. That meant she had been concerned. "Like I said, it hit me how fast the date is coming."

"And not sending out the save the dates would slow the calendar?"

"It sounds stupid when you say it like that."

"Well…"

He pouted. "Hey. And there is one other reason, a reason that may make you want to hit me."

"What?"

"Most of the pictures you were giving me to choose from are too posed. If I were to pick a picture, it would be more natural and candid."

"You couldn't have said that two weeks ago?" She looked up at him in triumph when the buzzer went off. "Lucky for you, Cory is here so you guys can sort through all our candid shots."

"But…but…"

"Bet you wish you would've spoken up two weeks ago, huh?"


	6. Chapter 6

_I'm SO sorry. I suck at sticking to any sort of schedule when life and assorted crap piles up. And apparently I'm a little forgetful, too. I thought I posted this a week ago and since the site had been having issues with reviews it didn't strike me as odd that I hadn't gotten any feedback one way or another on this chapter. There is going to be a small time jump coming in either chapter 8 or 9. I'm still going over my edits._

 _(Also, for the time being I'm going to be alternating updates of this story with_ Holiday Surprise _. But there are only a couple more chapters in the other story. Sometimes it helps keep things fresher for me when I multi-task.)_

 _Thanks for your patience and I appreciate the reviews and feedback to the previous chapters. (And I do plan to get back and respond soon.) :-)_

* * *

A few days later Angela found herself in the elevator of a Las Vegas hospital. She didn't have much of a plan aside from showing up and talking to her father. He had no clue she was here. The only people who knew were her aunt and Joyce. Joyce knew only because she was the one who shuttled her father to and from his treatments most days. He preferred it that way. While Angela didn't understand their relationship in the slightest, she'd given up trying to decipher it. It only ever resulted in confusion and a headache.

She stared at the control panel, watching as the numbers slowly went higher. She was trying to come up with a good opening with her dad- who probably wouldn't be thrilled to see her- when she received a text. It was Eric. He sent her a short video of Georgia attempting to roll a ball to Thor. Well, it was more like she picked the ball up and wildly flung it a few inches with her daddy's encouragement. It never got anywhere near the cat, but she was trying all the same. The cuteness was topped off when the feline brought his beloved toy mouse over and dropped it at the baby's feet. Angela was grateful for the distraction. Before she was able to send back a response the elevator doors opened and she moved slowly down the corridors, following the directions Aunt Trish had given her earlier.

 _Follow the Yellow Brick Road_ was the mental soundtrack as she followed the colored lines on the otherwise drab hospital tile. She smiled to herself, realizing that was a little more in step with Eric's train of thought- not usually hers'. Of course, he'd probably be singing along with the melody and skipping down the halls. By the time she reached the oncology unit Angela had visions of dressing Georgia as Dorothy for Halloween swimming around in her head. Finding red shoes would be easy enough. Pigtails on the other hand…Georgia was still bald and-

"Angela?"

She spun around and spotted Joyce leaning against the wall in the waiting area. "Oh, hi. Sorry, my mind was wandering. I was-I was actually thinking about next Halloween and how to dress Georgia." She shook her head. "Silly, huh?"

"I don't think so. It's nice to have a little distraction at a time like this."

"Yeah." Angela stared at Joyce, immediately struck by how similarly they were dressed. They were both wearing sweaters in nearly identical shades of yellow- though hers' was a chunky knit and Joyce was wearing a sweater set- and their pants were both gray. However she was wearing jeans as opposed to Joyce's linen trousers. Even their earrings were similar: small silver hoops. "Um…how's dad?"

"Your father is doing as well as can be expected for someone going through cancer treatments."

"That doesn't tell me anything."

"He's been better. This round of treatment does seem to be hitting him harder than previous ones."

"He's not going to be happy to see me, is he?"

"Angela, he is always happy to see you. That has never been the issue. It's you seeing him in this weakened state that bothers him. There's a certain image he wants you to keep of him and being in a wheelchair with his hair falling out is not that picture."

"He's always going to be my dad. It doesn't matter what- he's in a wheelchair," she asked.

"No, but when he finishes his treatments he's extremely tired and the orderly will bring him out in one."

"Oh." Angela was suddenly second guessing her decision to show up, especially alone. Maybe she should've taken Eric up on his offer to come along for emotional support. She was certainly wishing for it now. Georgia probably would've been okay with the Matthews' grandparents for a weekend.

Joyce reached out and put a hand on her daughter's arm in an attempt to reassure her. Angela recoiled at the contact and the reality of their relationship- or lack of relationship- smacked the older woman in the face. She opted to keep her hands folded in front of her instead. "Just treat your dad as you normally would. That's what he wants."

"Just be normal?"

"I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but yes."

"How the hell am I supposed to do that?"

"If all else fails, talk about Georgia," she suggested with a smile. "That's what he does when he needs cheering up."

"Really?"

"Well, he talks and brags about the both of you-Eric sometimes, too- but he adores that baby girl and loves being her grandfather. I swear he shows her pictures off to everyone he meets and just gushes over how smart and special she is and what a good mom you are."

Angela was doing her best not to break down. She refused to in front of Joyce, afraid that she would completely lose it and need to be comforted by her. What scared her the most was part of her wanted nothing more than for her mother to wrap her in a tight hug and tell her it was going to be all right, just as she had during the childhood moves to new states and countries or when Angela was four and still afraid of monsters in her room. She wanted it, but it wasn't going to happen. Even if it did how could she trust that Joyce was sincere and wouldn't bail on her tomorrow? She couldn't allow herself be vulnerable and bare her soul to someone who possessed such power to hurt her- had already hurt her. "Then I suppose it's a good thing I have a new video of Georgia to show him," was what she managed to say. "Eric just sent it. She's trying to roll a ball with Thor."

She always enjoyed the pictures and videos Alvin shared with her. "Sounds adorable. I know he'll be happy to see it." She picked up the bag that was at her feet. "Here. These will come in handy."

"What is it?"

"His neck pillow just in case he gets tired, masks- he's been wearing them because his immune system is compromised, and gum to help with the dry mouth issues. There are also a couple of airsick bags in there. Usually the nausea and vomiting doesn't hit him until later if at all because he has meds to control them, but every once in a while he gets sick in the car. And be careful when you're driving. Sometimes his chest can be sore where they do the radiation. The seatbelt can irritate it, especially if you have to brake quickly."

"Oh." That was a lot of stuff. "Is that why Aunt Trish's car has the seat belt pads on the passenger side?"

"Yes." Joyce realized she was looking more concerned by the minute. "I'm sorry. I'm not trying to scare you. I only wanted you to be prepared for the reality of his situation and not be blindsided."

"No, no, I appreciate the honesty. I just…he's kept me away from the beginning. I've never seen him like this."

"Do you want me to wait around with you until he's done? This way if there are any rough edges to smooth out I can-"

"We'll be fine," she interrupted in a harsher tone than intended. She certainly didn't need Joyce to intervene on her behalf.

"All right. The treatment room is straight down that hall. You can't miss it."

"Thanks."

"Just remember if he's grumpy or agitated it's not you. The treatments take a lot out of him."

"I'll try."

No matter how slowly she moved, it took Angela no time at all to reach the treatment room. She wasn't sure what to do. Did she knock or check in with somebody? She couldn't just barge in, could she? It wasn't like her dad was the only person in there.

"You're Angela, aren't you?"

She looked up and found herself in front of a kind looking woman wearing scrubs top with smiley faces all over. Angela was quite certain she had never met this person. "Do I know you?"

"No, we've never met, but I feel like I know you. Your dad shows pictures every time he comes in here."

She remembered what Joyce had said. "Right."

"I'm Maggie."

"Hi, it's nice to meet you."

"You, too. Does your dad that you're here?"

"Not exactly. This is sort of a last minute thing."

"Ah, well so long as he remains calm and relaxed there should be no issues. He's just about done. Were you going to wait for him out here or would you like to come in?

"Umm, I'm not sure."

"You don't have to be nervous. I know it's scary to see the people you love in this state, but he's still your dad. He's just got a little less hair and a port in his chest."

"A port?"

"It's easier for long term patients. Now, before I let you in I must ask that you wash your hands right over there." She pointed to a sink. "Are you feeling all right?"

"I'm fine. Just not sure what to expect is all."

"What I mean is, are you sick? Do you feel like you're coming down with something? Little Georgia hasn't run a fever since she's been teething, has she?"

"No, she…wait a minute. How do you know about Georgia and that she's teething? My dad," she concluded.

"Your daughter is the hit of the room."

"Thanks. I think. But anyway, no one is sick at home."

"Great. Just go wash your hands and I'll tell your dad he has a special visitor."

"Okay." Angela went to the sink and washed her hands, carefully following the chart that hung on the wall. Who knew there were special instructions for handwashing? She then followed the nurse to a quiet corner of the room that was occupied by her father. He was in a recliner and staring at a small television in his hands. He looked almost frail sitting under the blanket. Whatever hair he had a Christmas was now gone. Despite all that there was still an aura of quiet strength within. It let her know that even though he didn't look the same, it was still him in there. "Hi, dad."

Alvin was, surprised by her voice. He didn't know what to expect when the nurse said there was a special visitor here to see him. He definitely hadn't been expecting his daughter. "Angela…what are you doing here?"

"Why do you think?"

"You came to yell at me for not telling you sooner?"

She pulled a chair over and sat down. "No, not that I'm not tempted," she said with a small smile. "But that can wait."

"Your articles last week were brilliant. I don't know much about fashion, but you certainly-"

"Dad, stop. Don't change the subject. I didn't come here to discuss your biased opinions of my articles. How are you feeling?"

"I'm…," he stopped, realizing if he insisted he was fine he'd be fooling no one, especially his daughter. Even a blind man would be able to tell he wasn't what one would call fine. "I've been better."

"Is there anything I can do- anything I can get for you?"

"Do you have any new pictures of my granddaughter?"

She scooted the chair closer. "Actually Eric just sent me a new video. Georgia tries to roll a ball to the cat."

"It sounds like the perfect remedy. And for the record, your articles _were_ brilliant. I especially liked your interviews with the people who keep the shows running behind the scenes."

/

/

"Are you serious? Please tell me she didn't. Perfect."

Jack came inside from talking the dogs out on an early walk and found his wife on the phone. She didn't acknowledge him and the look on her face could only be described as grave.

"What kind of charges is she looking at? Are they shipping her back to Texas?"

"Rach," he whispered and tapped her arm, "what's going on?"

"Thanks for calling, Megan. Yeah," she snorted, "I know, the perks of this job are endless. I'm going to fill Jack in. Okay, see you Monday."

"What's going on? What did Megan want?"

"Oh, she just called to let us know that Kara was arrested last night."

"She was what?"

"Yep, arrested. She had a day pass from the rehab center and went to visit her aunt and uncle. At some point she hooked up with one of her fellow…patients? I think that's what they call them. He was also on a day pass. Kara got into her uncle's locked liquor cabinet while Prince Charming scored some drugs."

He fell into a chair. "And then?"

"She stole her aunt's car and wound up crashing through a diner."

"Oh, my god, was anyone hurt?"

"No, just her and the guy- no major injuries though. Luckily the diner was getting ready to close and wasn't busy." She paced around the kitchen table. "She's in a Duluth hospital in police custody. The diner owner is pressing charges obviously. Megan doesn't know if they're going to be shipping her back here since this is a major violation of the parole that allowed her to go north or keeping her there."

"Man." Jack leaned back and ran a hand through his hair. "What do we do now? Kara sounded like she was doing so well in her letters. We told the kids she was working hard at getting better. Should we tell Evan and Nina?"

"Damned if I know."

/

/

"Um, dad, the directions don't mention anything about a drill," Eric said, observing as his dad took a power drill, clamps, and screws out of his tool bag. "They sent zip ties." The guards for the banisters had finally come in and he called his father to help with the installation. It was too awkward a job for one person.

"Eh, forget the directions. This way is better."

"But-"

"It'll be more secure. That's what we're going for, right? You want Georgia to be able to crawl around up here without worrying about her getting stuck between the rails or worse…falling."

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Then trust me. My way is better than directions. Grab the tape measure and help me measure the banister," he ordered. "With any luck we won't have to make a lot of cuts."

"Whatever you say, dad," Eric muttered.

/

/

Angela winced as she did her best to slowly go over a speed bump, but there was still some jostling. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Alvin was successful in suppressing his sigh. It seemed every bump, pot hole, and stop sign she was checking how he was. "You don't have to ask every two minutes."

"I just don't want to hurt you. Joyce told me how sick and tired you feel after the treatments."

"Not every time. I'm tired, but I don't feel particularly sick right now."

"Well sorry," she fired back. "I've never seen you like this so I don't know how to handle it…or how you handle it. It's not my fault that this is new to me." She took a deep breath. What the hell was she thinking, yelling at him like that?

"If it's any consolation I don't know how to handle you seeing me like this either. I never wanted you to."

Angela pulled the car over. "I thought we went over all this months ago. What happened to no more secrets?"

"People don't look at me the same way anymore. They see the cancer first and then pity me. I'm treated like a fragile old man who can't do anything for himself."

"Dad-"

"I never wanted you to look at me like that. I still want you to see me as the person you came to in the middle of the night when you had a bad dream, the only one you would trust to catch you when you were too afraid to jump in the deep end of the pool, or…"

"You're my dad. Nothing is ever going to stop me from seeing you as my dad. Not cancer or chemo or your hair falling out- nothing. Maybe you're not as physically strong as you used to be, but you have an inner strength that is unmatched, especially after all you have gone through. I've only ever questioned our relationship when you shut me out. _That_ is when you become a different person to me and make me question everything I thought I knew about our relationship." She shifted in the driver's seat and stared at him. "We've worked so hard to get back on track and every time you lie or hide things it makes me wonder if that was all for nothing."

"I'm sorry. I suppose this time around it was me protecting my own ego and pride in addition to trying to shield you from the ugliness of all this."

"I get why you lied. Alan explained it to me, but it still sucks."

"You talked to Alan about this?"

"I needed to talk about dad stuff. He's good at that." She did wonder what Alan's reaction would be, knowing she flew out here. When they talked she'd agreed to honor her father's wishes and stay away. But that proved to be too challenging.

"I see."

She realized how it sounded. "I don't think you do. Dad, I'm not looking for a replacement. That's not what it is. Alan just…he can give me a perspective on what might be going on in your head that Amy or even Eric can't."

"Like why fathers sometimes act like boneheads?"

"You're not a bonehead. But you have to realize that I can handle this. I want to help you. I'm a big girl now. I'm also a parent. Sure, I may be a rookie, but I know how it feels to be hyper protective of your kid."

"Rookie? You're using sports' terminology?"

"Eric's influence I suppose."

Alvin reached for his daughter's hand. "You are an amazing mother: rookie of the year. Georgia is a very lucky little girl."

"Thank you, but most of the time I'm wondering how _I_ got so lucky. Don't get me wrong, it's not perfect. Teething sucks and at this point I'd give up an arm if it meant she'd be happy for more than five minutes at a time and let me and Eric get some sleep, but I wouldn't trade it. I _get_ to be Georgia's mom." She blinked back the tears that seem to come so easily when discussing her daughter. But they were happy tears. "It's…I can't even think of a word to describe it."

"Humbling? Awe inspiring?"

"To name a few."

"It's how I felt- still feel- about being your father." He paused to sip from his water bottle. "I'm sorry if you've ever doubted what a blessing you are to me." He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry you weren't equally blessed with the parents you deserve."

"Dad…"

"No, you got screwed over in the parental department. There's no way around that. I was forever putting the army first and missed endless amounts of time with you. Joyce…I let her off the hook too easily. I should've tried harder to convince her that you wouldn't be better off without her."

"I don't want to live in the past. We can't change it. All we can do now is learn from it and move on."

"But, I-"

"You're a human being who has made some mistakes. I figured that out a long time ago. And I'm sure it won't be long before Georgia realizes that her parents are human, too."

"I don't know about that," he began, almost amused. "I could see Eric trying to convince her that he's some kind of superhero and she is his sidekick."

"You listened in on one of his bedtime stories when you were in town, didn't you?"

"Maybe a little bit. That's quite an active imagination he has."

"Life is certainly never dull."

"My granddaughter is lucky to have such creative parents. I expect great things from her one day."

"Wait until I tell Eric you think he's great," Angela teased with a grin.

"Now, now, we wouldn't want it to go to his head." A quick burst of music filled their temporary silence. Alvin knew it wasn't his phone. "Everything okay," he asked, watching as she read.

"It's Eric. Alan came over to help install the banister covers- our last bit of baby-proofing- and Alan is apparently driving him insane."

"Why? What did he say?"

"It just says: _HELP! Dad is driving me nuts_."

"Today seems to be the day for fathers to do that."

"Oh, boy, now he says to be prepared with bail money and an alibi for him just in case." She put the phone back in her purse. "I'll call him in a little bit."

He reached for his water bottle again and inhaled sharply when the seatbelt strap brushed across his chest. His gray thermal Henley felt like it was embedded with tiny shards of glass.

"Are you okay?"

"It's noth… "As much as Alvin hated showing weakness in front of his daughter, she said she wanted honesty. "Actually I'm a little sore from all the consecutive days of radiation. I'm glad I have a two day break from it."

"Sorry. We've probably been sitting here too long talking." She could see his energy levels were fading. "I'll get you home." Angela put the car into drive and carefully began the trip back to Aunt Trish's house.

"You don't have to apologize. It is never a chore to talk to you. But I suppose I am feeling a little tired and in need of a nap." He chuckled humorlessly. "What does it say when I have the same sleeping requirements as my seven month old granddaughter?"

"That you're in good company? And Georgia won't be seven months for a couple more weeks. She's six and a half months. Don't rush her, or me for that matter. I can't believe she's climbed that hill and is now closer to turning one than she is to the day she was born. How the hell did that happen? "

"Time marches on, baby. You can't stop it. You'll see." He relaxed against the headrest and closed his eyes. "I do have one question for you."

"Sure."

"In Eric's bedtime stories to Georgia, what's with the name?"

"What name?"

"The detective in his stories: Handsome Man or something ridiculous like that?"

Angela was grateful the light had just turned red so she could laugh without worrying about traffic. "It's _Good Looking Guy_ , that's him."

"Where on earth did he come up with that?"

"It's Eric. Do we really need any other explanation?"

"No, I suppose 'it's Eric' will suffice."

"Did you get to hear the theme song? I'll sing it for you if you want."

He opened his eyes. "There's a theme song? Well, of course there's a theme song," he exclaimed, supplying the answer to his question. "It _is_ Eric after all."

/

/

"When's lunch? I'm starving."

Rachel saw Evan standing in the doorway out of the corner of her eye. She was at the sink trying to rinse the breakfast dishes while Calum squirmed around on her hip. "Dad and Nina went to pick it up. They should be back soon."

He frowned. "What do they have to pick up? On Saturdays we have dinner leftovers for lunch and there is still lasagna in the fridge."

She shifted Calum from one hip to the other and got a toy from the counter to keep him occupied. "We thought it would be fun to have a treat today so he's picking up burgers for you and Nina and chicken nuggets for Milo."

"Is something wrong?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because whenever something is wrong or you and dad want to have a grownup talk with us you buy special food."

For someone so guarded Rachel couldn't believe how perceptive he was, especially for an eight year old. It seemed Evan was always on alert, watching for something that could upset the nice little applecart they had going. She knew she could try to lie and smooth over the "special food" but why? He wouldn't believe it and she honestly hadn't noticed that she and Jack tried to temper difficult conversations with tasty treats. "We do have something to discuss with you guys."

"Is it bad?"

"We'll talk in a little bit, I promise." She heard the car pulling into the garage. "Can you help Milo wash his hands before we eat so I can get Calum set up in the swing?"

"You're ignoring my question. That means it's bad."

"Evan, please?"

"Fine."

Rachel watched him walk into the living room and take Milo by the hand. The toddler tried to fight it at first- no kid likes to be dragged away from their toys- but became very agreeable with the promise of his beloved chicken nuggets. She was knocked out of the momentary kinship between the two when their baby brother swung his toy around with reckless abandon, smacking her in the face. "Ow!" Calum was oblivious to the noise she made, but he picked up on the change in her body language and the look on her face. He loved faces and never stopped studying them. Faces were the main way he learned about a person. When tears filled his eyes and his chin began to quiver, Rachel ignored the pain in her nose and put on an exaggerated happy face: she stuck her tongue out, blew raspberries…whatever she could think of to make him smile again. Luckily it worked and she was placing him in the swing just as Jack and Nina walked through the back door.

"Mommy, guess what!"

"What?"

"Daddy got us French fries and milkshakes, too."

"Oh, wow, that sounds like a super special treat today." Jack was avoiding her gaze, but he wore a guilty expression. It was as though he hoped he could make up for Kara's transgressions with gifts and make them disappear. "Really," she whispered. "I thought you were going to get the apple slices."

"No one ever wants the apple slices. Fries win."

"Fair enough," she conceded, "but milkshakes, too?"

"So they get a little extra calcium today."

/

As lunch was winding down Jack and Rachel found themselves on the receiving end of Evan's stare. "What's going on, buddy," he asked. "Something wrong with your milkshake?"

"I want to know the bad news."

"What bad news?"

"He knows something is going on, Jack."

"How?"

She held up a fry. "Special food."

"Oh." He sighed. "All right, you deserve to know. Nina, come here."

She barely looked up from the floor where she was playing with the toy that came with her meal. "But I'm playing, daddy."

"You can go back to playing in a minute. Mommy and I need to talk to you."

"Can Donkey listen to the talk, too?" She held up her new little toy. "Donkey always gives good talks to Shrek."

Jack wasn't sure whether to laugh or roll his eyes. "Yes, Donkey can listen, too."

Nina got up from the floor, went over to Evan, and perched herself on the edge of his chair. He didn't try to shove her off or even protest. Instead he scooted over to give her more room. "Okay, now tell us."

"I got a phone call from Megan this morning," Rachel started. "You guys remember how a judge gave your mom permission to move to Minnesota to go to a special hospital so she could try to get better?"

"Yeah, she sends us mail sometimes."

"That's right, Nina. Well, she got into some trouble last night."

"What did she do?"

"The hospital said since had been doing such a good job that she could go visit her aunt and uncle for the day. When she was there she took their car without asking and got into an accident and crashed the car into a restaurant."

"Did she get hurt?"

"Yes, but she's going to be okay."

"Did she drink or get drugs? Because the last time she crashed her car it was after she had some drinks."

"Yes, she drank and did drugs."

"She's in big trouble," Nina concluded.

"That's right. We wanted to let you know because you're probably not going to be getting letters for a while. The police are going to take her to jail once she can leave the hospital."

"Did she hurt anybody else," Evan questioned.

"No one in the diner was hurt, just her and the person in the car with her."

"A guy?"

"What makes you ask that?"

"There's always a guy," he mumbled. "Can I go to my room?"

"Are you okay? Do you have any questions or anything you want to say?"

"No, I want to go to my room."

Jack glanced at Rachel before nodding. "Sure." He left the room without another word…or even a look back. "Nina, do you have any questions?"

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"Can you help me get the cherry out of my shake? It fell to the bottom."

That was a problem they could fix. "Sure. Let me get a spoon."

/

/

"You like those sweet potatoes, huh?" Eric smiled as Georgia alternated between trying to eat her food and playing with it. He had been relieved when she awoke from her nap and was ready to eat. It spared him from having to listen to his dad talk about how the designers of baby-proofing products needed to step up their game. "Yeah, that's good stuff. Maybe daddy will get a chance to eat while you're distracted and happy." As much as he loved having a lot one on one time with his daughter lately, it was exhausting to be on call and alone 24/7 without Angela. He didn't know how single parents did it. A couple minutes later he sat at the table and felt little eyes watching him, and this time they weren't Thor's. "What? You've got your food. This is daddy's lunch."

He was amused as she squawked at him and gestured wildly, sending little bits of sweet potato and avocado everywhere. She was repeating the same sounds over and over, clearly trying to tell him something. "That's a good point, but I don't know."

"Someone sounds determined," Alan observed. He walked into the kitchen and went to the sink to wash his hands.

"She's just trying to sweet talk me into giving up my sandwich. But it's not going to work," he said in a funny voice, moving closer to the highchair. "No, it's not." He kissed her cheek, delighting in the giggles that followed.

"Is she eating those chunks of food?"

"I don't know how much she's eating, but she's definitely tasting it and getting used to food. Not to mention she has so much fun making a mess."

"She's not going to choke on them?"

Eric rolled his eyes. "No, dad, she's not. She gags a little sometimes, but she learns."

"But what if she-"

"Did you finish putting up the guards?"

"Yes, they're all set. Now Georgia is free to crawl. Is there anything else you need me to help you with?"

"Nope, I don't think so. You can go if you want. I need to get her in the tub and give her a bottle before her nap." If he left there wouldn't be the constant game of 20 questions to be sure Eric knew what he was doing.

Alan couldn't help but notice Eric was being awfully short with him. "Is something wrong, son?"

He worked to remove the baby from her highchair. It was difficult because she was covered in food and clad in only a diaper and socks. She was also acting like, as Angela called it, a wriggly octopus. "I just want to get Georgia to nap before she remembers that she hates sleep."

The elder Matthews wasn't convinced that that was the reason. "Wow," he said with a chuckle and shake of his head.

"What?"

"Just a little bit of déjà vu, that's all. You also thought food was meant to be worn instead of eaten at that age. I remember I'd have a spoonful all ready for you and at the very last minute you'd psych us out and turn your head and end up with peas on your cheek or in your ear."

"That won't happen with Georgia."

"It's already happened."

"I meant it won't happen with peas. She hates them. Yeah," he responded to her little babbles. "You hate peas just like mama." Eric moved his head back when she put a food covered hand up to his mouth. "What…are you sharing? Okay." He pretended to eat her hand, resulting in big belly laughs. "All right, goofball, bath time."

"She likes baths?"

"She loves 'em. And she's starting to get the hang of splashing, which just adds more fun."

"At least until the floor is a mess."

"That's what towels are for. Besides, Georgia's only got the little baby splashes down so far." He held Georgia a little tighter when she started squirming again. "Okay you wiggle worm, is this your way of saying it's time to quit talking about this bath and get on with it?"

"I'll go clean up the mess I made and be on my way. We don't want to distract her and delay that nap."

"Okay."

Alan hadn't expected him to immediately agree. They hadn't spent a lot of time together lately. There was the occasional dinner and lately help baby-proofing, but that had been it. "Or if you want, I think there's a basketball game coming on. It's been a while since we hung out and watched a game together. I know the Sixers aren't having the best season, but we could order a pizza and-"

"Thanks, dad, but I think when Georgia naps I'm going to try and sneak one in, too. Maybe we'll try next weekend."

"Sounds great. I'm just going to pick up. All this baby-proofing would be for nothing if Georgia got ahold of a screw." He was almost out of the room when Eric called him. "Yeah?"

"Could you lock up when you leave? If Georgia does knock out right away I don't want to have to go all the way back down. Thor's tough, but I don't know how much he'd excel at guarding the house."

"Sure."

/

/

Angela tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She had a big bed in a quiet room all to herself, but all she could think of was what was missing. It was weird without Thor snuggling against the small of her back. There were no squeaky sleep sounds from Georgia- no listening for her cries. Eric wasn't an arm's reach away and ready to offer a hug. Even when he was sound asleep he always seemed to sense when she needed one of his hugs. She'd be home in less than twenty-four hours, but at the moment that knowledge wasn't enough to help her sleep.

On top of that, she was dealing with seeing her father sick, really sick. He'd taken a long nap after they returned from the hospital and Aunt Trish hoped that meant this treatment wouldn't hit him hard. Instead he woke up sick as a dog. He couldn't keep anything down, felt so weak he had trouble standing, and was just so tired and sore. It was almost a relief when Angela had to go out and get a refill of his anti-nausea pills. As many times as she tried to tell herself that she was prepared to see him sick, it turned out that she wasn't dealing with it very well.

After a few more minutes of restless shifting Angela finally gave up on the elusive sleep and decided to make some tea. When she emerged from the basement she was shocked to find her dad at the kitchen table. "Dad, what are you doing?"

"The same thing you're doing," he answered with a wry smile, "not sleeping."

"But you're sick. You should be in bed."

"I'm feeling a little better now. It comes and goes."

"Oh…that's good. Right?"

"Yes. The water in the kettle is still hot if you want tea."

"That's actually why I got out of bed. Do you need anything while I'm up?"

"A cup of applesauce from the fridge would be nice- and a few slices of lunchmeat. I need to try and eat something." She retrieved her dad's requests before preparing her tea. After a few minutes she joined him at the table.

"How are you doing, baby?"

"I feel like I should be asking you that. Seeing you in that condition…it's not easy."

He shrugged. "This…this was just a bad night. I have good ones, too. Most of the time they fall somewhere in between." They sat together in a comfortable silence for a while, though Alvin noticed that his daughter couldn't stop staring at him. "I knew you'd look at me differently."

"You're right, dad, I do." Angela reached across the table and squeezed his hand. "It turns out you're even stronger than I thought."


	7. Chapter 7

*sneaks in* _I'm SO sorry for the long delay in getting this next chapter out. I'm really not sure what happened, I hit such a mental block editing this story. (It is almost fully written.) I think it's because I've been working within this same set of storylines for almost five years- I first posted **Where You Least Expect It** in August of 2012- and maybe my mind needed a break from it to focus on other things. I'm going to do my best to prevent that from happening again. I may alternate chapters of this story with other writings, but it shouldn't be months long breaks between chapters again._

 _Thank you so much for being so patient. :-)_

* * *

Jack closed the door to his and Rachel's room and sighed in relief. Both Calum and Milo were taking their naps. It was rare that they went down at the same time, but it was a treat when they did. He especially needed it today. Evan had been rather withdrawn since finding out about his mother's latest round of legal troubles- hardly ate dinner last night, stayed in his room, and then barely touched his cereal this morning. Rachel had accompanied Nina to a friend's birthday party and Jack promised he'd try to talk to Evan. He'd been outside most of the morning, sitting on the back porch swing with a book and a Gameboy. He'd found the old game system in a box and asked if he could have it. "Hey, buddy. You mind if I sit," he asked, gesturing to the other side of the swing.

Evan shrugged and mumbled, "Whatever."

He took a seat and debated whether or not to start talking or give Evan the chance to open up. When some time passed without even a glance thrown his way, Jack knew he had to be the one to start. "It's okay to be mad at your mom. It's even okay to need some quiet and time away from everybody to think about it, but you-"

"She's not my mom!"

"Okay, your old mom, I'm sorry."

"I hate her."

"Is it her that you hate or do you just hate what she's done?"

"I hate everything. Kara isn't a good person."

He was thrown by Evan using her name. He's never done that before. "Kara's a human being who has made a lot of mistakes. That doesn't mean she's not trying to do good stuff, but she's an addict, Evan."

"I know that."

"Addiction...it doesn't excuse anything that she's done, but it's a very hard thing to overcome. People spend years battling it. Even when they're in a good place they still have to be aware of what can send them back into that bad behavior."

"She could stop if she really wanted to."

"It's not always that easy. I have an addiction," Jack added without thinking.

Evan finally looked up from his video game. "You drink and do drugs, too," he spat out, horrified.

The look of betrayal on the boy's face had him second guessing where he'd decided to go with this conversation. "No, it's not drugs and alcohol." Witnessing Chet's drunken behavior when he was a young child was enough to make him very aware of what drinking could do to someone's personality. When Shawn experimented with alcohol and showed those same bad traits it scared him. While Jack wasn't exactly a teetotaler, he was very careful when he drank.

"What else is there?"

"I had a gambling problem when I was younger. You see, it started when your Uncle Eric went through a period of having some good luck with guessing lottery numbers. We won a little bit and it wasn't enough for me. I wanted more. I'd hound him for the next winning numbers. I even hit him to get the numbers out of him." He decided to leave out the fact that he hit Eric's head against a dumpster.

His eyes were wide. "You hit somebody?"

"I'm not proud of it. I wish I could go back and change things so that it never happened, but it did."

"And Uncle Eric forgave you?"

"He is a very forgiving person."

"Was that the only time you did gambling?"

Jack shook his head. "Unfortunately, no, I had problems with it off and on. If I won a little it wasn't enough. I had to have more. And when I lost I kept playing to try to win back the money, plus a little extra. There was a few times where I lost an entire paycheck in one night."

"Do you still do it?"

He dug into his pocket and pulled out a medallion. He gave it to Evan. "In July it will be five years since I gambled. That medallion means I've gone four years without. Every morning when I wake up and get dressed for the day, it goes into my pocket to remind me how far I've come. Assuming I don't gamble at all before next July I will get another one for my fifth year."

"What made you stop?"

"Rachel was going to leave me. I didn't realize how big my problem was until then." They had been planning a trip for their anniversary- nothing especially fancy, just a little getaway for a few days- and he blew through all the money they'd set aside for it in less than an hour. And that had been in addition to his paycheck. Jack had initially tried to smooth it over by saying he could just get the money from his step-dad. That was how he got out of it before, but she wouldn't stand for it. She said it was her or gambling. While the choice was easy, keeping his promise was rife with challenges. "I don't think she knew how big my problem was until then either."

"Mom made you get better?"

"No, she inspired me to get better. You can't force someone to be better unless it's what they want."

"Does that mean Kara doesn't want to get better?"

How was he supposed to answer that? "I think she does sometimes. The last time mom and I saw her in the hospital when she let us adopt Calum it really did seem like she wanted to change. She was excited about the rehab facility in Minnesota. But it's hard. Addiction is hard."

"What makes people be addicted to things?"

"I don't know. I think if we knew there would be an easy way to fix it."

"What do you do if you feel like you want to gamble again?"

"I go to a meeting where I talk to other people who had problems gambling."

"And that helps?"

"Most of the time, yes."

"What do you do when it doesn't?"

"I come home and take the dogs on a long run to clear my mind. If that still doesn't work I play either Tetris or Solitaire on my computer until I beat my highest score. This way I can feel like I won something. I don't know if it's the healthiest way to deal with things, but-"

"Is that why you were at your computer all day last week?"

He frowned. "When last week?"

"Friday. Mom told you lots of times that dinner was ready and to come eat. You kept saying just one more minute."

Damn, the kid noticed everything. "Yes," he admitted with a nod. "I was having a bad day on Friday."

"Oh."

"But it was the first bad day I'd had in a while. Luckily I don't have them too often anymore."

"The next time you do have a bad day maybe I can help."

"Really? How?"

"We could play video games and I would let you win."

He ran a hand across Evan's head and mussed his hair, almost laughing when the boy immediately smoothed it back to its already disheveled state. Jack made a mental note to take him for a haircut sometime this week. "That sounds like fun, only you won't have to let me win. I'm pretty good at video games."

"You mean you used to be. I beat you all the time."

"Maybe I let _you_ win," he challenged humorously.

Evan smirked. "You don't."

"Sure, not the new games, but if we're talking Mortal Kombat, Donkey Kong, or Super Maris Bros. I would kick butt."

"I still think I would beat you."

"Oh, yeah? Let's go see. We'll take advantage of Milo and Calum taking their naps."

"Can we eat lunch when we play?"

He hesitated momentarily. Rachel…he and Rachel tried to keep a strict eating at the table policy unless it was popcorn in the living room for movie nights. She was scarred by memories of her and her brother being lectured by their parents for spilling juice and staining a new couch and carpet when they were small. "Maybe just this once."

"Cool! Last one to the couch is player 2!"

/

/

"When does Angela get back?"

"Late tonight."

"Between this weekend and her working Fashion Week, you've become a certifiable Mr. Mom."

"Hey, I don't mind it, even if I am so tired at the end of the day I'm lucky I can remember my own name. Angela manages it most of the time when I'm at work. Plus it's given me an appreciation for single parents. Besides, she really needed to see her dad." Eric couldn't help but laugh when Georgia squealed and kicked her legs in excitement as he moved the swing back and forth. "You like that?" While she was still a bean pole, his daughter was finally able to fit into the baby swings at the park. "Mama will be happy to get these pictures." He frowned. "Ooh, do you think I should've waited for Angela?"

"Waited for what," Max asked.

"This is Georgia's first time on the swings here. We've taken her for walks around the park, but this is the first time she's used the equipment."

"Given the amount of time you guys are going to be spending at the park in your lifetime- she'd be crazy to be upset."

"But it's still a first."

"So don't tell her about today and come back later in the week. It can be her first all over again. Lucky for you, Georgia's doesn't have the language skills to rat you out yet."

"I'm not going to lie. Besides, I already sent a few pictures."

"Then what are you complaining to me for?"

"I'm not complaining, just thinking out loud." His phone buzzed, indicating a text. He grumbled when he saw the number. "Now I'm gonna complain."

"What?"

"My dad has texted me for about a million times to not forget to drop off his drill. He left it at my house yesterday when he took over baby-proofing. I already said I'd drop it off after the park."

Max detected a certain annoyance that wasn't normally there when Eric discussed his dad. "You guys having a fight or something?"

"I have no idea. If we are, dad didn't fill me in on what he's mad about. All I know is he's treating me like I'm stupid and don't have a clue how to care for my kid."

"What did he say?"

"It's not so much what he's saying- though that is annoying- it's what he does."

"Well, have you tried-" He trailed off when he realized his son was nowhere to be found. "Where's Leo?"

Eric looked around. "I don't…he was just here a minute ago."

Max's panic was momentary. He heard another child shouting and had a feeling his kid was the culprit. "Leo, don't climb up the slide like that! No, I don't care if you didn't want your turn to be over. It's the next kid's turn. It doesn't count as still your turn even if you didn't put your feet on the ground yet. No…no, it doesn't." He shook his head. "Can you keep an eye Tess for a second?"

Eric's gaze fell to his friend's daughter who, unlike her twin brother, was playing happily with a few other kids in the sandbox. "Sure." He wondered which model of kid Georgia would be as she got older. Would she be content to sit and play, whether by herself or with other kids like Tess? Or would she be like Leo- climbing on whatever was there and trying to steal turns on the slides from other kids? While he hoped for the former scenario, if Georgia was anything like him she was sure to be a climber and slide stealer. He was brought back to reality when the baby in question squawked at him. It seemed she was displeased that her swing was no longer moving. "What? Is daddy slowing you down?" He moved it back and forth, never taking his hand off of the seat. "I know what you're thinking: 'dad, I could fly a lot faster if you'd let go.' Well I've got news for you, little girl: I'm not letting go for a very long time- maybe never. What do you think about that?" He got a big grin in return, though he knew that had more to do with his silly voices than his actual words. "Cool, wait until I tell mama you're never moving out and leaving us. I don't think she'll mind."

"Nope, I don't care." Max had his son over his shoulder as he walked back to the swings. "You don't steal turns and try to push kids off the slide. And you definitely know not to run away from me."

"Having fun?"

"Get that smirk off your face. Just wait until Georgia is mobile enough to try and dart into traffic."

"Thanks, now I know what I'll have nightmares about tonight."

"Just spreading the misery around." He struggled to hang onto his squirming son. "Tess, we're going to go home and get some lunch, okay?" He smiled slightly when she immediately began to gather her toys. She wasn't always this agreeable, but at the moment it was a relief to not have to wrangle two hyper kids. "Lunch and then naps," he whispered. "Naps for everybody. And maybe a beer for dad."

Eric was almost envious. "Man, a beer and a nap definitely sound better than trying to talk to my dad right now."

"Make up with him and then you can both have a beer."

"How can I make up with him when I don't even know what's wrong?"

"You know, I'd love to discuss this further, but unless you want to trade places with me, I need to get him home and settled."

He looked back and forth between Georgia and Leo. "No, thanks."

"Chicken. You need a ride back to your house?"

"It's two blocks away. We'll be fine. See you at work tomorrow."

"Yeah, I'll be the one in the straitjacket repeating myself over and over again."

/

/

"…and I promise I will call you myself just to make sure you do know everything."

Angela watched her aunt at the sink, doing the breakfast dishes. She tried to tell her she'd be fine with a bowl of cereal or a Pop Tart, but she insisted on preparing a big meal. She supposed it was a distraction from dealing with her dad's illness. That's probably why her aunt was also washing by hand instead of tossing things into the dishwasher. "Thanks, Aunt Trish. I want to trust that he'll tell me everything, but his need to protect me tends to get in the way of giving me the facts."

"It's a battle against his natural instincts, honey. He's been hardwired to protect you from the moment he knew you existed. I'm sure you feel the same about your little girl."

"Yeah."

"How are you holding up after last night?"

After their tea together Angela was about to go back to bed when her father was suddenly overcome with severe nausea. She tried to help him to the bathroom, but then dizziness struck. She'd had to leave him sitting on the floor in the hallway to go get her aunt to help. By the time they returned he had already gotten sick. After that it seemed the more she tried to help, the more agitated he became. He eventually ordered her to her room. She almost called Eric in tears, but was afraid she would wake Georgia. "It's so hard to see him like that."

"I know."

"How do you keep it together when he's sick and angry?"

"I remind myself that's not my brother and not your father talking. It's not us he's really angry at. It's the cancer, the chemo, himself."

"Why himself?"

"His body betrayed him by getting sick in the first place. So, it is misdirected anger, but the outbursts are something he at least has a little bit of control of. Even then his feelings are exacerbated by treatments so it's more an illusion of control. And to someone like your father that loss of control is probably the scariest part."

She stared into her full coffee cup. "I tried to imagine Georgia seeing me in a situation like that and…I understood a little his need to shield me."

"It still doesn't justify the boneheaded way he's gone about things."

"I know. There were so many ways he could've better handled the situation."

"Ah, I thought my ears were burning," Alvin said in a sarcastic- yet exhausted- manner as he slowly walked into the kitchen. "I'm guessing I'm the bonehead?"

Trish smiled at her brother. "You always are to me."

"I'm too tired to think up an appropriate come back, so I'll take it as a begrudging compliment." He fell into a chair beside his daughter.

"How are you doing, dad?"

There was no question he'd grown to hate more. "I haven't thrown up in four hours and made it from my room to the kitchen under my own power. So, I'm good."

"Can I fix you something to eat?"

He grimaced and recoiled at his sister's words. "No, no food."

"Just a little bit? You should try something to keep your strength up."

"Patricia, no, I can't right now."

"How about a shake or a smoothie?"

"Fine," he said, knowing it was the only way she would quit. "I will try a smoothie- banana. I make no promises."

"You just need to try." She rummaged through the kitchen to gather the ingredients. "Darn it, we're out of bananas."

"That's fine."

"No, it's not. I'm going to get you bananas."

"Patricia-"

"Call or text me if you need anything else."

Alvin shook his head as his sister practically flew out of the house, knowing she didn't want to hear any further arguments. "Your aunt worries too much."

"I can't blame her. What would you be doing if your positions were reversed?"

"Probably making a fuss just like her," he admitted with a chuckle. "Look, Angela, about last night-"

"It's okay, dad."

"No, it's not. I shouldn't have snapped at you like I did." He drummed his fingers along the tabletop. "Accepting help isn't something that comes easily to me. It doesn't matter if it's from you, Trish, Joyce, even the doctors and nurses at the hospital…I hate it. I used to command troops. I set up embassies. I survived wars. And now I consider it an accomplishment that I was able to get from my bed to the kitchen by myself. That is a very difficult and depressing reality to accept."

"I'm sorry. For what it's worth I think you'd be able to inspire troops into battle. Like I said last night, you may not be as physically strong anymore, but your inner strength is off the charts. You still command respect. Hell, when you ordered me to my room I listened," she finished with a chuckle.

"That certainly was a nice surprise compared to your teen years…at least the years before you went to your grandmother."

"Dad you did what you thought was best at the time. I _did_ need more supervision than you were able to provide."

"I don't know. Perhaps I should've retired years ago when it was clear my lifestyle was interfering with my ability to be there for you the way you needed. At this stage of my life those years seem like more wasted time that we could've spent together."

"Hey, aren't you the one who always told me that life can't be lived looking back," she reminded him as she reached for his hand.

He smiled sadly and blinked back tears. "Yes, well, when you're not sure how much more life you have in front of you sometimes it's impossible not to look back."

"Stop it." Her dad almost never cried and it was all she could do to keep her composure. "You're going to be around for a long time. Who else is going to laugh at me when I'm whining about Georgia's terrible twos? Or when she's an impossible teenager and tell me that it's karma?"

"I hope so, baby. I have a lot to make up for."

"Just keep looking forward. There's so much good ahead for both of us." Angela held up her phone. "You want to see pictures of Georgia that Eric took a little while ago in the park?"

"That sounds like the perfect remedy for the day." He took his daughter's phone and scrolled through the images. Georgia was grinning in every photo. "Someone is certainly proud of her new teeth."

"Yeah, she loves putting them to use smiling and unfortunately biting. I swear everything goes into her mouth."

"That will be outgrown eventually," he reassured. "She has your smile."

"You think?"

The last couple pictures had both Eric and Georgia. In one they were looking at the camera and in the last they were staring at each other. He could only see Eric's profile, but the baby was looking at her father with happiness and complete adoration evident in her eyes. Alvin remembered when Angela looked at him like that, like he was her whole world. "Yes, that is unmistakably you."

She leaned her head against his arm. "Thanks, dad."

/

/

Eric listened to the happy babbles coming from the back seat as he pulled into the parking lot of the wilderness store. He looked into the rearview mirror and, from the reflection off the car seat mirror, could see Georgia happily playing with and gnawing on her toy. He'd hoped that she would fall asleep on the drive. This way he'd have the perfect excuse to not hang around at the store. He got out of the car and went to the back seat, his mood lifting a bit when Georgia saw him and dropped her toy so she could reach for him. He made quick work of the straps and had her in his arms within seconds. "What do you say, you want to go back into the sling or should I just carry you? Huh, good point. Grandpa is going to want hold you. And if I can hand you off right away, you will distract him with your cuteness and make him forget whatever else he thinks daddy is doing wrong." He kissed her cheek. "Either that or you start to cry and force me to take you home. Whatever works for you, kid."

/

Alan had just wrapped up a customer's transaction and was debating what to do for lunch. He glanced towards the door when the aforementioned customer said something, but saw that he was talking to someone outside. Seconds later his son and granddaughter appeared in the door. He often forgot that Eric was a local celebrity after doing the weather for so long. People sought him out, whether it was for a quick hi or an in depth discussion on the weather. This time the conversation was kept short, probably because of Georgia, Alan figured. "Wow, she's not screaming her head off coming in here. That's a nice change."

"What?"

"The last few times Angela has brought her in she's been grumpy and crying," he explained, holding out his hands to the baby. "I was starting to take it personally."

Eric handed her over. "She's been in a happy mood all morning. We'll see how long that lasts now that it's almost naptime." He placed the case containing the drill on the counter. "We spent a lot of time at the park so hopefully she's worn out enough to sleep instead of crying and trying to fight it."

"The park? Isn't it too cold?"

He rolled his eyes. "It's in the forties and she has a hat."

"When does Angela get back?"

"Late tonight."

"How's her dad?"

"I'm not really sure. I tried to call Angela this morning, but it went to voicemail. She sent me a text saying we'd talk later. Yesterday she said that the chemo was hitting him harder this time than in the past."

"That's a shame. Hopefully he pulls through this." He laughed when his granddaughter tried to remove her hat. He took it off and handed it over to her when she seemed to grow frustrated. It made him smile at how it took so little to make her happy. "Look, I was just going to go around the corner and get some lunch. You and Georgia want to join me?"

"No, thanks, that's okay. We'll head home. I'll feed her there without feeling guilty about the mess she'd make. Plus, like I said, she should be ready for a nap soon."

"Oh, okay." Those were valid reasons, yet Alan felt like there was something more going on. "Son, is there something on your mind?"

"Not really. Why?"

"Lately you seem…you've been very distant with me. Did I do something wrong?"

"Did I?" At least he wouldn't have to think of a clever segue to have this conversation.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, it just seems like you've been treating me like an idiot so I must've screwed up somewhere."

"I haven't been-"

"When you came to help with the banister guards you went on a rant about how baby proof experts didn't have a clue and you thought I was stupid for wanting to follow their directions."

"That's because zip ties are-"

"And there have been all your little comments. Like questioning mine and Angela's decision to do baby led weaning and let Georgia feed herself."

"I just don't want her to choke."

"And we do?"

"Well, no."

"When I was talking about her bath you didn't want her to splash and you started quizzing me on water temperature."

"I did?"

"And today you questioned my judgement having her at the park. Lately it seems like I can't do anything right as a dad in your eyes."

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize I was doing that."

"You were doing it in Angela's third trimester, then you stopped for a while, but now you're starting again." He shoved his hands into his pockets and stared at his daughter, who seemed oblivious to the conflict around her. "Do you think I'm a terrible father or something?"

"Eric, of course not! You are a wonderful father to Georgia."

"Then what's going on?"

"I'm not even sure. I suppose lately the only times I've felt able to give you advice or help on things is in the little comments."

"What?"

"I guess I thought you'd come to me more, that you'd be looking to me for advice and parental tips and wisdom."

"I do come to you."

He shook his head. "Lately it seems like you've been going to your mom, not that there's anything wrong with that. Your mom's great."

"I'm sure she'll be thrilled to hear that."

"What I mean is it seems like whenever you need something mom's your first choice. That used to be my spot. And yes, I realize how irrational this sounds."

"You're jealous of mom?"

"She was the one you called when Georgia hit her head."

"I wasn't thinking. I just picked up the phone."

"And instinct led you to call your mother."

"I don't know what it was. That morning is such a blur. Later though…forget it."

"No. What is it?"

"Once we knew Georgia was going to be okay, I did wonder what you would have to say and if you'd blame me for it."

"Eric, it was an accident. I wouldn't have blamed you."

"You've gone judgmental for a lot less. I didn't know what you'd do if you saw the giant bruise on Georgia's head."

"I'm sorry if I made you feel like you couldn't come to me. That's the last thing I want."

"I don't want it either."

"You and Angela can come to me with anything at any time."

"I know, thanks. And thanks for talking to Angela about her dad."

"You don't have to thank me for that. She's family. I know she's going through a rough time."

"Still, thanks. You seemed to help more than I did."

"It's all about perspective."

"Yeah, that's what Angela said."

"I just…I don't want things to be strained or weird between us."

"Me either."

"You know my dad died before I was married and a father so I didn't have to deal with judgement from him…at least about being a dad. He certainly judged me for everything under the sun so I can only imagine what he would've said about fatherhood."

"Yeah, you've talked about him a little before."

"I'm sorry if I made you think I was judging you or that you weren't a good father. You are a great father. You definitely seem to have a better handle on things than I did when you were Georgia's age."

"Thanks."

"And I guess my comments were an attempt to pass on little tips. It wasn't a judgement. We just hardly ever see each other and since you've been calling on mom I was taking the chance to give you advice whenever I could. But I'll try to watch it…or at least pay more attention to the way I say things."

"And I could let you know when you're being a know-it-all pain in the ass," he responded with a smirk.

"Nice. Not to be critical, but if Georgia's first word is ass, we'll know where to look. Granted, I was responsible for your first swearing outburst, so…"

"Really? What did I say?"

"You greeted my boss at the company picnic by asking if he was the son of a bitch I hated."

He snickered. "Oops."

"My co-workers loved it- and you. They fed you cotton candy until you got sick."

"Angela's got all the bad words covered though. Have you ever driven with her? She's getting better, but she'd still make a trucker blush." He noticed that Georgia was rubbing her face into her grandpa's shoulder. "I think she's getting tired."

"Oh, okay."

"We'll definitely make plans for lunch later, okay? Or dinner even. It might be a little easier to do dinner during the week since I get a break when we're not on the air."

"Great." He ran a hand over the baby's head. "Is it almost naptime, huh? Hey, you didn't tell me she was finally growing hair."

"Because she's not. Trust me, if she was I'd be shouting from the rooftops. But she's still my little baldy."

"Eric, this child has hair on her head."

He took a closer look and, lo and behold there was a thin layer of peach fuzz on Georgia's head. "Oh, my, god, she has hair!" He threw his hands up. "Ha, ha!"

Alan shook his head. "You didn't notice?"

"Dad, trust me, I check her head every night. That was not there last night. Georgia, this is so exciting." He got his phone out of his pocket. "We have to send mama pictures. Oh, no wait, I know, we'll surprise her."

He couldn't help but laugh at his son's enthusiasm. "It's just a little bit of peach fuzz. If the hair wasn't so dark I doubt you'd even be able to see it."

"Hey, she's had nothing but eyebrows for almost seven months. This is just the beginning. Let us have our moment."

"You're insane."

Eric took Georgia and held her high above his head, making her laugh. "You have hair! You're not daddy's little baldy anymore." He tucked her close and kissed her head. "Yeah, we have to come up with a new nickname. Wooly mammoth?"

"Right, that's every girl's dream nickname. Why not go with Cousin Itt?"

"Please, dad, like anyone would get an _Addams' Family_ reference nowadays."

/

/

Milo was asleep, Nina was asleep, and Rachel was giving Calum a bottle. That left Evan. Though the light was off, Jack had his suspicions that Evan wasn't really sleeping. "Why are you still awake?" The lump under sheets froze. "I can see the light from the Game Boy."

He uncovered his head and sat up. "I just wanted to get to the next level. Then I'll go to bed. I promise."

Jack laughed and walked further into the room. "Famous last words."

"Huh?"

"Save the game and then go to bed."

"But-"

"You have school tomorrow. And sorry, but _'Please excuse Evan for being tired today. He was up late playing games.'_ is not an acceptable note for school. No way would your teacher buy it."

He sighed before handing over the game system. "Fine."

"You can bring it in the car and play on the way to school and when I pick you up."

"Can I play it during my lunch?"

"No, no games at school." He patted his leg. "Go to bed."

"Can I at least pretend I'm playing the game in my head when I try to fall asleep?"

"Sure, go for it." He headed for the door, but turned back. "There's one more thing."

"What?"

Jack took a seat on the bed. "I want you to hang onto this for me."

He looked at the object placed in his hand. "You're giving me your medallion?"

"Yes."

"But don't you need to carry it with you so you don't gamble?"

He shook his head. "I just need to know where it is."

"But what if I lose it?"

"I trust you to keep it safe for me."

Even though he was only eight, Evan understood that this was a big deal. "Really?"

"Really. I might ask for it back every once in a while if I'm having a bad day."

"If you ask for it back, we can go run with the dogs or play video games," he said, remembering their conversation from earlier.

"That sounds like a good plan. Now, come on, get to bed before mom yells at me for keeping you up," he joked.

He stuck the medallion under his pillow before lying back down. "Good night, dad."

"'Night, Evan."

/

/

The house was dark and quiet when the cab dropped Angela off at home. She hoped that meant Georgia was sleeping instead of grumpy and crying at all hours. The again, if the baby was awake at least she'd be able to soak in some much needed cuddles.

Thor greeted her when she entered the bedroom and, after a few pets, dashed off to sleep in the rocker. She immediately went to Georgia's crib, but it was empty. She was confused, not having seen her or Eric downstairs. Before she could panic, she saw the bed and couldn't help but smile at the sight before her. Eric and Georgia were both asleep. She decided to change in the bathroom so as not to wake them. Still, no matter how quiet she tried to be, Eric was stirring when she came back. "Hey," she whispered. "Sorry, didn't mean to wake you."

"That's okay. How's your dad?"

"Okay…I think. For now anyway."

"What does that mean?"

"We'll talk in the morning." She knelt down beside the bed and gave him a quick kiss. "I missed you."

"Ditto."

"So, can you explain something for me?"

"If it's short- sure."

"If you're Mr. Anti-Co-sleeping, why is Georgia in the bed?"

"I'm not anti-co-sleeping, but I just didn't want to roll on her or something. But this is the only place she would settle and sleep since you've been gone. Don't worry, I read up so we do it safely. Not that I want this to be a regular thing, but…"

"I get it. Desperate times and all that." She moved to go to the other side of the bed, but Eric held her arm. "What?"

He scooted back towards the edge of the mattress. "Sleep between me and her. The websites said the baby shouldn't sleep between adults and that next to the mother is best if possible, at least that's what most of them said. There was some disagreement there."

"Wow, you did do your homework."

"When Georgia is involved, yes." Once they were settled again he wrapped an arm around her waist and hugged her to his chest. "I have the most exciting news."

She closed her eyes, totally content feeling Eric's heartbeat against her back. "What's that?"

"Georgia's got hair. It's not a lot, more like peach fuzz, but it's there. It's dark and matches her eyebrows, too, looks like it'll be closer to your hair color."

Angela opened her eyes and gazed at her daughter in an attempt to see her head, but it was too dark to make anything out. "Congratulations, babe, told you she wouldn't be bald forever."

He yawned, too tired to think of a funny comeback. Instead he kissed Angela's shoulder. "I love you. And no more separate trips."

"I love you, too. And no arguments here."


	8. Chapter 8

_Sorry, I suck. Life in general has been busy and keeping up with more than one story isn't as easy as it used to be. It helps me not get too tired of one story in particular, but unfortunately it also means updates for each story are slower._

 _There is a small time jump from the previous chapter to this one- a few weeks. And there will be another small jump in the next chapter. I'm simply trying to keep things moving._

 _Thank you so much for the reviews and feedback on the previous chapter. (I know I'm a little behind at replying to reviews as well.) And, as always, thanks for your never-ending patience. :-)_

* * *

"If that is what I think it is, you're a dead man."

Shawn looked up at his fiancée when she came into the living room. "What?"

She took the object out of his hands. "Is this or is this not one of our Save the Dates?"

"It is, but, Nomi-"

"You told me you mailed those weeks ago! How could you? We're already pushing it since we only gave ourselves nine months to plan. It's practically two months until the wedding. If someone whines to me about not being able to come because of short notice I'm sending them to you. And after that you can deal with the wrath of my mother."

Pointing out that her mother loved him, at least the majority of the time, would be a risky move at this moment. He reached for her arm and pulled her down to sit beside him. "I did mail out the Save the Date cards. I swear."

"Then explain this," she demanded, holding up the stationary.

"Look at the address."

She scanned the front of the envelope. "What does the address have to do with...oh."

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"No, it's not I. I was acting like a total-"

"Bridezilla," he supplied with a smirk on his face. "That's okay. You were due for a moment. You haven't had one since your freak out over thinking the peach color swatch looked a little too much like coral."

Naomi rolled her eyes, but could hardly argue. She wasn't prone to irrational outbursts, but those color swatches had turned her into a ranting, raving psychopath. At least only Shawn and her sister were witness to that craziness. "But seriously…I thought you already said you wanted to invite Virna."

"I did…I do…I think."

"What's the problem? Are you afraid she'll say no?"

"No." He took the invitation back. "If I invite her she will say yes. And if she says yes, that means she'll be at the wedding."

"You trust her to be there and not flake out on you?"

"She hasn't lied or broken any promises since she got back in touch with me."

"Just so we're on the same page, would Virna being there be a good thing or a bad thing? Because if it's a bad thing, then to hell with her. We don't need her there."

"I don't know if it will be good or bad. But it will be complicated. What about the San San Kudo? I already asked Cory's parents to take part in that with us and your parents."

"Well-"

"And then there's the dance."

"What dance?"

"The other day the DJ called asking if we were having a mother/son dance since you and your dad are having the father/daughter dance. And if we were doing it, he'd like to know the song sooner rather than later. You and your dad need to pick a song, by the way."

She added yet another thing to her mental to-do list. "There doesn't need to be a mother/son dance. I think most people will understand if there isn't one. Or were you planning to ask Amy already?"

"Honestly, I forgot it was even a thing until the DJ called."

"What's your gut telling you?"

"I don't know."

"If that were true you wouldn't be so conflicted."

"It was difficult enough to get used to the two of us having to dance up there in front of everyone. You made me feel a lot better about it, but I still hate being the center of attention that way." He sighed. "If I dance with Cory's mom, I'll be thinking about Virna even if she technically forfeited her role in my life. If I dance with Virna I'll wonder if it's some weird betrayal against the Matthews'."

"Then don't have the dance, at least not an official one. I don't want you to be stressing about this. It's not worth it."

"You won't be mad?"

"Why would I be mad?"

"We're skipping some wedding tradition here."

"Shawn, if I really cared about upholding old traditions we wouldn't have been living together _in sin_ for the past three years and I'd cave to my mom and grandma and have the traditional Japanese ceremony of their dreams. Seriously, if I have to listen to my grandma bemoaning the fact that we're getting married in a country bed and breakfast upstate and not a shrine I'm going to lose my freaking mind."

"We could always skip the wedding and keep living in sin," he joked. "I've always liked to consider myself a rebel and that would help the reputation."

"Don't suggest that on a day where I've already fielded four phone calls about the wedding. I may say yes." She leaned in for a kiss, but saw the clock out of the corner of her eye. "Crap, is that the time? I'm going to be late for work." She planted a quick peck on his cheek before running to the door, grabbing her bag and keys along the way. "I'm working ten hours today so don't wait for me to eat dinner. Love you."

As soon as the door slammed and she was gone, Shawn picked up the envelope from the coffee table and traced Virna's name with his finger.

/

/

Someone was watching her. That was the first conscious thought Angela had when she woke up. She hadn't even opened her eyes yet, but could practically feel a stare going right through her. The obvious suspect was the cat, but when she felt tiny, wet hands patting and pinching her face she knew the culprit. Her eyes opened and she found herself face to face with her daughter. Georgia had a mischievous look on her face, as though she knew she was doing something she shouldn't. Angela had a feeling she would be seeing a lot of that mischievousness as the years went on. "Mama sees you, baby girl." She chuckled when the baby looked up with a start. "Didn't know I was awake, huh? What are you doing?" The string of babbles that followed was music to her ears. It almost sounded like she was trying to say something. The intonations and rhythm were there. All she needed was the words.

This was quickly becoming her favorite time of day. It used to be the quiet hours before bedtime, when they would sit quietly, nursing and listening to Eric's nightly forecast. Now that teething was here in full force the nightly bedtime routine wasn't quite so peaceful. Lately it felt less like cuddles and hugs and more like trying to wrestle an angry grizzly bear into submission. Though, Angela suspected part of the fussiness was due to her being gone so much recently. She tried not to feel too guilty- she had to work and then her father needed her- but she couldn't help but blame herself a little...a lot. This was a common age for separation anxiety to show itself and Georgia didn't understand why mama wasn't there for her those nights and their routine disrupted. Her guilt caused her to continue the co-sleeping Eric began a few weeks ago. They didn't do it every night, only when any other option for rest seemed impossible. Still, it was a relief to have these mornings, mornings that started with smiles and cuddles and slobbery kisses. "Ugh, Georgia, you kiss like a Great Dane." She made an exaggerated face and moved back, which only seemed to delight and encourage the baby. "You think that's funny? Just wait until you see mama's revenge: raspberry attack!"

Eric leaned against the doorframe and watched the scene before him with a big, dopey grin on his face. He couldn't tell who was laughing harder, Angela or Georgia. How did he get so lucky? It seemed he spent every other moment of the day asking that question. He never came up with a good answer, however. He didn't deserve them and was thankful for every day they had together. Eric could only hope he made them even a tenth as happy as they made him.

In the back of his mind he heard a little voice saying that this would be lovely memory to go along with a proposal, but he couldn't yet. He still hadn't found the perfect ring and when he proposed he wanted it to be right. True, he knew a ring wasn't necessary, but their relationship had been such a whirlwind and so unconventional that he wanted just a little bit of tradition in there. He wanted to wine and dine Angela and sweep her off her feet with a grand gesture. She deserved it. She put up with his crazy work hours and one in the morning takeout food dates that took place in front of the television. She deserved a romantic proposal for the ages.

"How long have you been standing there," Angela asked a couple minutes later.

"I came in right before you launched the raspberry attack."

She was only slightly self-conscious as her gaze fell to Georgia. The laughter eventually became mixed with whines, a sign she was getting overstimulated and probably a little hungry. "It's amazing how willing I am to look like a fool to make her happy."

He walked over to the bed and sat down. "I think making your baby happy automatically means you're not a fool."

"Maybe a little silly, though. Why are you up already? We didn't get to bed until after four. I figured you'd sleep until you had to go to work."

"Thor. It was one of those mornings where he thought me feet were toys. He wouldn't let up until I got out of bed to give him his morning canned food. Then my mom called."

"What did she want?"

"She invited us over for dinner Saturday. Apparently she misses us. I said I'd let her know."

"I'll never pass up your mom's cooking." She winced and moved Georgia's hand. "We've discussed this, kid. Grabbing and pinching mama doesn't get you fed faster." She ran her thumb across the tiny fingers. "How does she need her nails cut again? I feel like we do it every other day."

"Do you want me to do it now while she's distracted?"

"No, we can wait until she's napping."

"It looks like she'll be in a milk coma soon."

Angela smiled when Georgia took hold of her thumb and squeezed it tight. "I'm going to miss this part when it's over. I gave breastfeeding a try because I read about all the benefits for the baby, but I never expected it to help me so much. I don't think it's possible to explain how close and bonded to her I feel. Even on the worst days when she's sick or crabby and nothing makes her happy we still have this. I wish I could explain it better to you, but it's weird and emotional and chemical. I love this time with her so much."

"Even if I'll never completely understand, I can see the bond. She's only seven months old. There's no rush to stop until you're both ready."

"Is she really seven months already? It can't be."

"As of today, yep, it's the nineteenth. We have to remember to take the picture of her with that stuffed turtle from my dad. Some months it seems she's hardly grown until I look at the monthly pictures of her with turtle to compare."

"It's going too fast. Soon we'll be planning her first birthday. August will be here before we know it."

"Don't say that. I'm not ready."

"Me either. I don't have any party ideas, but I do know how I want to spend the actual day."

"Oh?"

"Well, her birthday will fall on a Thursday so I was thinking we could have a little party either the weekend before or the weekend after, but her actual birthday is just the three of us. We could go to the zoo or the park…something just for us."

"That sounds nice." He chuckled when Georgia's head lolled to the side and her eyes were half closed. He loved her milk coma face. "I'll get the nail clippers for our little drunk."

Angela reached out and grabbed his arm. "Wait a second."

"What?"

"You have a while before you need to start getting ready for work, right?"

"About four hours, why?"

"I don't know, I guess talking about her first birthday is making me nostalgic for the present if that makes any sense." She could see that he wasn't totally following her, which was understandable since she was having trouble verbalizing what she felt. "I just think maybe we should slow down a little and enjoy these moments while they last. She's only this small for so long."

Eric smiled. "Are you asking me to nap with you?"

"Nap, lie here and enjoy the peace and quiet, however you want to phrase it. Unless you have something else to-"

He got into bed beside Angela and wrapped his arm around her waist. "I can call mom back later. Just so I'm sure, dinner on Saturday is a yes?"

"Like I said, I will never turn down her cooking."

"You obviously never had her vegetarian lasagna." He made a gagging sound.

She shushed him through quiet laughter. "Don't wake Georgia."

"I already built up good karma by offering to cut her nails."

"Whatever."

"Hey, it was a sincere offer. That's just as good as doing it." It was, by far, the baby duty they hated most and each tried to pawn it off on the other whenever the chance arose. They usually decided who was going to cut Georgia's nails with thumb wrestling. Eric's won more than he's lost, but not by much. Their records were almost tied. Angela's got some sneaky upper body strength.

"She still has her talons."

"That's only because you wanted to stop and enjoy this moment."

"You've got me second guessing that decision," she said sarcastically before leaning back for a quick kiss, ensuring he knew there was no real bite behind her words. "You'll still do her nails later, right? Before you go to work so she doesn't claw her eyes out?"

"An offer is as good as the real thing, or at least it was when you made up the rule for yourself. I'm afraid you're the next batter up, rookie." He gave a few quick pats to her backside. "Make me proud. Keep your eye on the ball and swing for the fences."

"Eric, we've been over this: me and baseball analogies don't mix."

"They will next month when you come with me to a game," he stated with a smirk.

One of her anniversary gifts for him was a promise to go to a baseball game. He gave classical music and foreign films multiple chances for her. She could learn about baseball for him. Even if she never became a season-ticket holding fan, she hoped to gain some insight as to why he loved it so much. "Oh, you remembered that, huh?"

"Remembered? It's marked on my calendar, twenty-four days and counting. Hey, how do you think Georgia would do at the game? I was a baby when my parents first took me. She won't need a ticket. We could just hold her or bring the wrap."

"I don't know. It's impossible to predict her behavior from one day to the next, let alone a month from now. But I think it might be too much for her. She's never been in huge groups of people for an extended time, especially groups of people where there's alcohol involved and a lot of yelling. I think it might be too overwhelming for her right now."

"Oh."

She sensed his disappointment and rolled over so they were now face to face. "It's very sweet that you can't wait to share this with her. How about we play it by ear? See how she is and make a game day decision."

"That's a good idea. Maybe we can take her to one of Josh's cross country meets to see how she handles crowds and cheering. Or Max signed his kids up for t-ball. We could go a game, too. Give her a nice baseball preview."

"T-ball for four year olds? That doesn't sound like much of a game. It sounds like a recipe for chaos."

He thought about the video Max showed from the kids' first "game" and couldn't help but concede her point. "Sort of, but it gives them a taste of trying to play on a team. Plus, it would show you what to expect if Georgia wants to play t-ball one day."

"I guess it could be cute to see a bunch of kids we aren't responsible for running around like maniacs. Okay, we can do a cross country meet and a t-ball game."

"Cool." Eric wrapped his arm around Angela and pulled her as close as possible. "So, how long do you think her milk coma nap will last?"

Angela raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? You get nervous doing it when she's in her crib across the freakin' room, but now? When she's less than a foot away in the same bed?"

"No! Not that. I mean, I appreciate that that's the first place your mind goes, but ew, no way, lady."

" _Ew?_ Thanks a lot."

"You know what I meant."

"Still, work on saying it better."

"Sorry, what I meant was, how long do you think we can keep…how did you put it? Enjoying the quiet moment?"

No sooner was she about to answer does Angela hear soft coos and grunts coming from behind her. "I'd say about .02 seconds."

"I guess we should've been quieter."

"No, I think she decided this was more like a cat nap than a real nap. That's all our lives are right now; no sleep, just naps." She turned over and was greeted by the pouting face and watery eyes of her daughter. "No tears," she said gently, "no tears. You're not alone." She picked up the baby and sat her on her stomach before settling next to Eric again. "See, mama and daddy are here."

"Aw, did you think you were all by yourself?" He held out his arms, but Georgia didn't go to him. She did, however, grab his hand and brought it to her mouth before biting down. "Ouch. Hey, are you cutting another tooth?" He moved his finger around her gums. "Yeah, you've got a top tooth coming in. Make that two of them."

"This teething is never going to end, is it," Angela asked, laying her head against his shoulder. "We're going to be carrying her around and not sleeping when she's eleven because her mouth hurts."

"If she needs braces we just might."

"Hush. I don't even want to think about that." She was quiet for a moment. "Did you ever need braces?"

"No, you?"

"No. Let's hope tradition holds."

"Geez," Eric began after letting the baby gnaw on his fingers for another minute or two, "I don't know what hurts more, her nails or her little razor teeth."

"Believe me, I know. You want to trade places?"

"No, thank you. How about we get some breakfast, huh?" He sat up and took the baby from Angela and bounced her on his knee to circumvent any crying. "I hear a certain little girl is just crazy about scrambled eggs and strips of toast."

"Throw in some avocado or apple chunks and you'll hit all of her current favorites. Would you mind if I snuck in a quick shower while you handle breakfast? It might be my only chance to get under running water today."

"Take your time. Georgia, tell her, no one wants a stinky mama," he said in a ridiculous voice, getting the giggles he desired. "That's right, no stinky mama."

"Excuse me, stinky?"

"It's just a funny word. Nothing personal."

"Still, the person who comes home from work smelling like a high school locker room on the nights he and his coworkers play basketball has no room to talk. The only one who wants to be around you before you shower those nights is the cat. And that's only because he loves your dirty socks."

"Okay, I'm sorry. You always smell like coconuts and raspberries and sunshine."

She rolled her eyes. "You don't need to lay it on that thick."

"You were acting super offended."

"Sorry, it's just the lack of sleep, I guess. People keep saying she'll start sleeping through the night. I can't wait."

"Why, you know we'll be the parents who check on her every five minutes to make sure she's still breathing. We'll get even less sleep."

Angela shook her head and laughed. "You're right. I never thought I would be that parent, but you're right." She ran her hand along the short hair that covered her baby's head. It was hard to believe she was still bald just a few weeks ago. "Of course, before Georgia I never thought I wanted to be a parent, so-"

"Back then doesn't matter. All that matters is now." Eric kissed her cheek. "Go take your shower."

"Thanks." She returned the kiss, placing a slow, lingering one on his lips. It wasn't long, however, before someone decided she was being left out. "Ouch, Georgia, no." She worked to free the hand from her hair. "No," Angela repeated in a slightly harsher tone of voice. "We do not pull hair." The baby's response was a laugh in her face. "I thought babies were older when they laughed at being told no."

"Clearly we gave her the wrong middle name. It shouldn't be Felicity, it should be Trouble."

/

/

"Cory Matthews," Cory started, answering the extension in his office. "How may I help you?"

"Mr. Matthews, your wife is here to see you."

"Topanga?" She never visits him at work. His mind raced for an explanation, but only came up with worst case scenarios "Send her in." A few moments later there was a courtesy knock at the door before Topanga appeared in his office. "What's wrong? Is it my parents? Your parents? Oh, God, not Mr. Feeny?"

"No, no, nothing like that. I'm sorry." She took a seat usually reserved for students on the opposite side of the desk. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"Then what are you doing here? I think I can count on one hand the times you've come in and they were all during lunch breaks. Lunch was two hours ago."

"It's work."

"Oh, no, you lost your job? It's okay, it's okay." He got up and paced the room. "I still have my job and while I don't pull in the figures you did, we can get by for a while. I'm sure it won't be long before another firm-"

She let out an exasperated breath. "I didn't get fired! Cory stop jumping to conclusions and let me talk."

"Okay, sorry."

"You know how I've been working on a case against that recycling center for improperly storing and destroying materials?"

"Yes." The case had been monopolizing a lot of her time recently.

"Well, there's a hearing coming up. We're pretty sure we have enough evidence to nail the owners."

"Topanga, that's great, but it still doesn't explain why you're here."

"The hearing is in Washington on Monday. The main branch of the recycling center is down there and that's where they've decided to try them."

He sighed in relief. "Oh, you have to go to Washington on Monday. That's not a big deal. You said hearings are usually just a few hours long so you'll be home that night, right?"

She fiddled with a paper weight she swiped from his desk. "Well, yes, but-"

"What is it?"

"I'd have to leave tomorrow and stay through Monday. And after that if things go our way we start prepping for trial."

"So, what does that mean? You'd be there until after the trial?"

"We'd be able to do most of the prep work here, but the trial itself would be in D.C.."

"And you'd need to stay down there during the trial," he concluded.

"I'd be home on weekends. Look, Cory, I didn't give them an answer yet. I asked for some time to discuss it with you and my boss gave me until the end of today to decide. If it was just a weekend or two, I would've, but if and when we do go to trial it could last a month…maybe a little longer. It all depends on whether the judge agrees with our evidence and if the jerks at the recycling company decide to plea bargain." Topanga studied her husband's face, searching for any reaction, positive or negative. "What do you think?"

Cory's gut reaction was to say no, but he realized how big it was that she considered their relationship and his feelings before automatically going with her gut reaction and saying yes. That had never happened before. When work said jump she usually asked how high, then jumped twice as high. This was a big deal. If anything it proved counseling was paying off and she was listening to his concerns. It wasn't just lip service given during their sessions. "Do you want to go?" She hemmed and hawed, hesitating with her response. "You do, don't you?"

"I really want to nail these jerks. They masqueraded as a good, ethical company and instead poisoned the planet."

"And would your status at the firm suffer if you excused yourself from the case?"

"Probably a little bit."

He took a deep breath. "I think you should go."

"Really? You won't be mad or hold it against me?"

"I can't promise I won't be a little frustrated sometimes and I'll miss you like crazy, but no, I won't hold it against you. It won't be easy, but we'll make it."

Topanga ran around to the other side of the desk and wrapped her arms around him. "Thank you. Thank you for seeing how important it is to me."

"Thank you for considering me- considering us -in your decision."

"And you know, there can be weeks between the preliminaries and the actual trial. So it's not like I'll be down there right away."

"You can stop trying to sell me. This won't interfere with you being in Shawn's wedding, will it? Or the vacation we planned this summer?"

"The firm is already well aware of my summer commitments. I have years' worth of sick and vacation days that I've never used. It's about time I put a dent in that stack of vacation days."

He pulled her close for a kiss. "Thank you. Now go tell your boss you accept. I wouldn't want you to miss this because you took too long telling me."

"Right. I'll pick up something for dinner, okay? I won't be late. Any requests?"

"Nope, you and food, what more does a guy need?"

/

/

Shawn walked back and forth down the hallway outside of Virna's apartment, not quite ready to knock on the door. He didn't know what he was doing here. He didn't plan on coming here. Then before he knew it he was in his van driving and saw the sign welcoming him to Maryland. Naomi really was going to kill him one of these days for driving on autopilot. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out the Save the Date notice. He'd been walking around with it for days, meaning to drop it into a mailbox but never quite getting there. Nomi offered to do it for him, but he knew this was something he'd have to do himself. Shawn wanted Virna to be there. So why was this so difficult?

Just as he'd summoned enough courage to slide the envelope under the door and run like hell the front door opened. He found himself face to face with Virna's boyfriend. "Hi. Um, Reuben, right?"

The man nodded, startled. He hadn't expected to find someone right outside the door. "That's right, Shawn."

"Is-um…is Virna here?"

Reuben took a few steps back into the apartment. "Darlin', you got company."

"Is that just your sly way of telling me there's a delivery man standing there with more flowers? You really do spoil me too-" She stopped talking when she saw Shawn standing there. "Oh, Shawn, hello."

"Sorry for coming over unannounced. I can go if you're busy."

"No, that's okay. Come on in. Reuben was just leaving to go to work."

"I cannot wait until tax season is over," the man lamented. "If I finish early enough I will take you out for a birthday dinner. Otherwise I will make it up to you this weekend."

"Now you stop. My birthday pancake breakfast and the lovely bouquet of begonias were more than enough."

"Not quite. I'll call you later when I know what my schedule looks like."

"It's your birthday," Shawn said once they were alone. He wasn't sure if he was asking a question or stating the obvious.

"It is."

Was that why he was here? Is that why his subconscious seemed to lead him here to invite her in person? "Happy birthday," he offered, though it sounded lame to his ears.

She smiled warmly at him. "It certainly is now. But somehow I don't think that is the reason for your visit."

He averted his eyes. Virna had always been able to read him like a book. "Not exactly."

"Well, sit down. Can I get you water or coffee? A soft drink perhaps?"

"Soda would be great, thanks." He took a seat at the counter that separated her living room from her kitchenette. "This is a nice apartment."

"Thank you. I'm fond of it." She placed the soda in front of him. "How is Naomi?"

"She's great. I mean, she's getting a little crazy the closer we get to the wedding, but she's nowhere near as bad as some bridezilla horror stories I've hear."

"Weddings can be stressful. I hope you two remember that a wedding is just a day. It can be a wonderful day, but in the end that's all it is. The real work comes with the marriage."

"I know."

"Is there a specific reason you came to see me, Shawn? Not that I'm not thrilled you're here…just a little surprised."

He took a deep breath before placing the now wrinkled envelope on the counter. "I wanted to give you this."

"You drove down all this way? But the postage is already on it. That's a waste of a stamp."

"I just…I-"

"Relax. I'm kidding." Virna carefully tore into the envelope, smiling when she saw what it contained. "An invitation to your wedding," she asked cautiously.

"It's more like a pre-invitation, but yes."

"And you're sure you want me there?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Well." She couldn't help the tears that came to her eyes. "This is the best birthday present I could ever ask for. Thank you. You can count on me. I swear I won't let you down again."

He nodded, still not knowing why he believed her this time around, but he did. "I know. You can bring Reuben, too, if you want."

"I'm sure he'd like that."

"Um…just so things aren't mixed up, it's just an invitation. I'm not doing a mother/son dance and there's a part of the ceremony where the parents of the bride and parents of the groom come up and take part, but I already asked Cory's parents and-"

"Honey, it's okay. Mr. and Mrs. Matthews are the most consistent parental figures you've had. It's natural that they're the ones who take part. I'm sorry that you found yourself in this situation and for the role I played in it."

"I'm trying not to live in the past anymore."

"I'm still sorry."

"I know." The next several moments passed in silence. Ultimately he was the one who broke it. "I guess I should be going."

"Right. Well thank you for coming. I appreciate the in-person invitation." She couldn't help but notice he made no move to stand, let alone leave. "Is there something else?"

Even Shawn wouldn't have been able to predict the words that came out of his mouth. "Do you want to get some ice cream?"

"What?"

"It's…every year on my birthday you took me to get ice cream. Even if it was a year with no money for cake and presents you made sure you had enough to get me my waffle cone."

She wasn't sure he remembered that, or, rather, that he would want to remember. "I'd love to."

/

Later that evening Cory opened the door and saw Shawn standing there with a pizza. "Hey. Did I know you were coming over?"

"Nope, but I figured you needed a distraction Topanga's first night out of town. Plus I need to tell you something."

He stepped aside so Shawn could come in. "Oh?"

"Virna's coming to the wedding."

"What?"

"She's coming. Don't make a scene. And no, this isn't up for debate."

Cory could yell at Shawn about what a bad idea this could be or he could shut up and accept it. He sighed. "What kind of pizza did you get?"

/

/

"Ew, Georgia just got mashed potatoes all over me," Josh whined, rubbing his napkin across the front of his shirt."

"Sorry, little brother, she's a messy eater." He laughed when Georgia slammed her hands on the tray of the high chair. Food flew in every direction. No one was spared. "Just pretend you're front row for Blue Man group."

"I saw them at a school field trip last year. She's messier."

"What were you saying about swimming," Amy asked.

"Oh, we signed up for family swim classes. It's good for kids to learn to swim early."

"But she's not even a year old yet. Aren't you rushing it?"

"Alan-"

"It's okay, mom. Bad things can happen when you mix water and small kids. We don't ever plan to leave Georgia alone around water, but if a fluke or accident happens, the idea is that she'll be able to float and not panic until we're able to help her."

"I suppose I never thought about it like that."

"And this way she'll love the water even more than she does now."

"So why do you two have to be in the class, too?"

"It will help with building trust and it's a different way to bond. It's good all around." There was a knock at the back door. "Feeny!"

George opened the door and entered the kitchen. "Eric, Angela, I'm glad I caught you."

"What's up, Mr. Feeny?"

"Would you have any use for my walnut credenza?"

"Watch your language," Eric scolded. "Baby ears."

He rolled his eyes. "Angela?"

"You're getting rid of your desk?"

"Lila and I decided to clean house of things we don't use anymore. We're offering things up to family and friends before giving them to a friend who owns an antique shop."

"That's sweet. Yes, I think we'll have the space. My desk is small and one of the legs keeps getting loose."

"Oh, good. It was hand-crafted by my grandfather and I'd like to see it go to people I know will appreciate it. Well, that's all. I saw your car and wanted to check with you. Eric, we'll arrange a day for you to pick it up. Lila and I are still going through all the drawers."

"Sure thing, Feeny."

"Good night."

"Oh, wait," Angela called out. "We can show you Georgia's newest milestone."

"She's learned something else?"

"Georgia, can you wave bye-bye to Mr. Feeny?" She waved as an example and moments later the baby was mimicking her. "Yeah, bye-bye Mr. Feeny."

George smiled. True, she was waving with her entire arm and practically threw herself off balance a few times, but it was precious all the same. He waved in return. "I told you, this child is going places. I'll alert my friend at Harvard in the morning, have a spot reserved for her in eighteen years."

"What, are you going to get her a waving scholarship?"

"Yes," he deadpanned. "Class one: the Miss America wave. Class two: Queen of England."


	9. Chapter 9

_I feel like I'm constantly apologizing for delays, but real life and work have just been busy and hectic and making me feel very blah and run down lately. But trust me, I'd much rather be writing._

 _Thanks for the feedback to the previous chapters and for your continued patience of saints. :-) It is very much appreciated._

* * *

"Are Uncle Shawn and Aunt Nomi really gonna be here when I get out of school?"

"Yes, Nina."

"And then me and Aunt Nomi will make my flower girl dress?"

"Yes, Nina."

"Can she sleep here in my room with me?"

Rachel suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the girl's enthusiasm, but there were only so many times you could be asked the same questions before you started to worry for your sanity. The entire week leading up to spring break had been the same. "No, she and Uncle Shawn are staying in a hotel, remember? There aren't enough beds here."

"But Aunt Nomi could sleep in my bed and Uncle Shawn could sleep on the floor."

"Well, honey, I'm sure Uncle Shawn would love that suggestion, but they already made a reservation. But don't worry. They will spend lots of time here." She made sure all the snaps were fastened on Calum's clothes before turning her attention back to Nina and had to choke back a laugh. She may only be five years old, but the attitude coming off of her was from that of a fifteen year old. "Go put your shoes on. We leave in ten minutes."

"But, mommy-"

"You only have a half day today, remember? Then no school for a week." Rachel was tempted to tell her that Shawn and Naomi would be the ones picking her and Evan up today, but decided to keep that a surprise. It would only launch a brand new round of twenty million questions.

"Mommy-"

"Nina, I'm not going to tell you again. I want you to have your shoes on and to be waiting on the back porch with your back pack, ready to go, when the clock says 7:45."

She stomped her feet. "Fine. But I shouldn't get to go to school on a day when Uncle Shawn and Aunt Nomi are coming to visit because of it being a day of specialness. It's not fair."

"Life's not fair, kiddo," Jack chimed in as he came into the room with Milo in his arms.

"I'm a little bit mad at you both," she stated, hands on her hips.

"That's okay, but you still have to put on your shoes and go to school." She and Jack managed to hold in their laughter until Nina was out of the room. "So, this attitude she woke up with...what the hell is going on?"

"I don't know. I was going to ask you. You're the girl."

"I'm the girl?"

"You know what I mean. I didn't know if it was a girl thing or a five year old hopped up on so much excitement she turns into a little bit of a butthead thing."

"And those are the same thing in your mind? Being a girl equals butthead? Because in my experience butthead was always more of a boy thing."

"Can I just take back the last three minutes? Today's a good day and I don't want to spoil it." He smiled at Calum and pulled on his foot. "Yeah, you're going to hear us today, buddy. I can't wait. Hey, Rach, we never did decide who's going to talk to him first. It doesn't matter to me. Do you want to hold him and talk or work the camera?"

Rachel took a deep breath. She was as optimistic as anyone, but she also had to be a realist. Calum was born with severe to profound hearing loss. There was no guarantee that even the strongest of hearing aids would help him. Yet every time she turned around it seemed she had to remind Jack of things he was afraid to face. She was gentle about it, but still. She would've expected this from Evan or Nina, not Jack. It was definitely a switch. Normally he was the one who had to bring her back down to earth with realism. "Hon, remember what the audiologist said. He won't know if it's successful until-"

"-until they're in. I know. But come on. How many videos did we watch on youtube of those cute little babies hearing their moms and dads for the first time? Tell me those weren't cool and made you cry."

"They did, but those babies aren't Calum. Their diagnoses are different."

"I know that. And trust me. I'm keeping my expectations in check." He gave her a quick kiss. "I'm going to buckle Milo in. Diaper bags are by the door?"

"Yeah."

"Evan, Nina," Jack called out as he walked through the house. "Let's move. Time for school."

"Time go cool," Milo shouted, mimicking his dad.

Rachel laughed at the toddler's copycat routine. It seemed everyday he turned more and more into a mini-Jack. Next her gaze fell to the baby and she smiled when she saw him poking his finger into the eye of a stuffed bear. She put her hands on his legs to get his attention and melted when he gave her a gummy grin. Angela had warned her about those. They were a parent's kryptonite. "Are you ready to go in the car, Calum?" She spoke slowly and also used signing, unsure of what or how much he could understand. They were just trying to communicate the best they knew how. He seemed excited and kicked his legs and let out little coos. "Okay," she said as she picked him up, "let's go." She kissed his cheek and, though she knew her words would be lost to him, whispered, "I love you, hearing or not, perfect boy."

/

/

"You're crazy. He was not flirting with me. Georgia, tell daddy he's crazy." Angela looked in the backseat and caught the baby's sleeping reflection in the mirror. "If there's one thing I love about swim class it's that it almost always leads to a nice, long nap."

"Come on, it's okay to admit it. Who doesn't like knowing that they've still got it even after they get boring and have a baby?"

"Are you calling me boring?"

"No, but to the outside world our lives seem boring. I think our lives are cool. Before we started these classes I can't tell you the last time I spent Friday morning swimming. Of course there were babies, floaties, and probably pee in the pool, but-"

She hit his shoulder. "Oh, gross!"

"Hey, trying to drive here."

"Why did you have to say that?"

"I'm sorry. You're right. I'm sure the babies totally obey the _'I don't swim in your toilet, don't pee in my pool' signs_. They are considerate little creatures."

"You are seriously weirding me out. We were in that water, too, you know? Georgia's bodily stuff I can deal with. Those four other babies though? They're just little strangers."

Eric didn't even bother to try and hold in his laughter. "They're babies!"

"Creepy little weirdo stranger babies," she corrected.

"I thought you liked babies."

"I love _our_ baby and would spend every day with her. I'd happily torture, maim, and kill for her in a heartbeat. I like the kids of friends and family just fine. Stranger babies? I mean, if they were in trouble or in the way of a moving car? Yeah, I'd help them and make sure they're safe and I care about their general well-being as fellow humans, but otherwise they can stay way the hell over there." She made a grand waving gesture. "And keep the noise down."

"And stay off of your lawn, grandma?"

"Pretty much."

"Huh."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"No, that wasn't a nothing huh. That was a loaded huh. What is it?"

"I just…I didn't realize that you…that you weren't a kid person."

"You knew I wasn't a kid person. It's not like I spent a lot of time around kids. Even when I was a kid I was mostly around adults. I was an only child, I never babysat, I didn't-"

He put his hand on her knee. "Calm down."

"Before Georgia I wasn't sure I even wanted children because of my family situation. I don't see how this is a big surprise to you. I still don't technically think of myself as a kid person," she continued. "I'm a _Georgia_ person. In fact, I may as well be president of her freaking fan club I love her so much."

"I'm sorry. It wasn't an attack."

"Well, it was starting to feel like one."

"I just never heard anyone call a baby a…how did you put it, 'creepy little weirdo stranger?' Did I get it right?"

"I guess it does sound nuts to hear someone else say it."

"What if one of the other parents said that same stuff about Georgia?"

She whipped around to look at him. "It would be the last conscious thought they had before hitting the ground." She sighed and leaned back in the seat. "Fine, maybe you have a point. But some of those parents though-"

"Oh, the parents are nuts. No doubt. And will you finally admit Jacob's dad was hitting on you? Has been hitting on you since classes began? If anyone is a creepy, weirdo stranger, it's him."

"Is that why you "accidentally" knocked him into the deep end of the pool today?"

"Yeah, sure, accidentally. We'll go with that," Eric muttered. "It's not my fault he's clumsy and tripped over a pool noodle."

Angela laughed and ran a hand through his slightly damp hair. "Maybe next week you can help him into floaties if he's going to be so clumsy."

"Yeah, the floaties can go right over his big, dumb, stupid face."

"Maybe I'll do the same thing to Olivia's mom," she grumbled, "though she certainly has a couple of her own personal flotation devices."

"Me- _ow_."

"What? She was totally throwing herself at you." She cleared her throat before starting to speak in ditzy, breathy tone. " _Like, you don't think my glittery string bikini is too much, do you? It was all I could find to wear. And can you believe my husband is out of town again? It's so lonely. Do you ever get lonely? Oh, wow, Mr. Matthews, you look so much bigger and more handsome in person than you do on TV. Is that your paycheck in your pocket or are you just happy to see me_?"

He chuckled and rubbed the top of her thigh. "We just have to face it. We are the hottest parents in swim class. They want us, but can't have us."

"You know if we're gossiping about them they're probably doing the same about us right now."

"I can only imagine. _Did you see Georgia's mom? How dare someone look that hot seven and a half months after having a baby_ ," he said in a squeaky voice. " _And the way she kept her hand on Georgia's dad's ass when they were leaving_ …wait a second," his voice returned to normal. "You did that for glittery bikini lady, didn't you?"

"No, at least I didn't do it just to get at her. I happen to like your ass."

"Glad to hear it. I don't hit the gym at work just for me. Squats suck."

"Who do you think you have to impress? Not me." Angela leaned over and kissed his cheek as he pulled into the garage. "You know, we probably should try to make friends with some of them. It would be nice to have more parent friends to commiserate with." Some of the moms in her yoga classes were all right, but she hadn't really clicked with anyone yet. It was so hard to make friends as an adult. Well, it had been hard for her to make friends at any age. Moving around constantly made it challenging in the past.

"Not Jacob's parents. Or Olivia's."

"Duh. Sophia's mom seems pretty nice though."

"Yeah, and Logan's dad is cool. He's a sports agent and his wife is a publicist. I think I've actually run into them before at a few parties when I was with…." He trailed off.

"With Hollie?" He said nothing. "It's okay. We have pasts and have had relationships with other people. We've never shied away from that fact before. Why now?"

"We did spend the whole drive home talking about petty jealousy."

"No, we were talking about people who were blatantly disrespecting our relationship by openly making passes at us…not to mention disrespecting their own relationships, and all of this in front of our babies. I think that's something different."

"I guess you're right." He peered into the back where Georgia was still passed out in her seat. "What do you think the odds are of us getting her out of there without waking her up?"

"You probably have a better shot than I do. Lately it seems like if she had her way, she'd still be attached to me via umbilical cord."

"Yeah, she is turning into a clingy octopus with you again."

"And if you get her to the crib successfully, I'll set up a quick shower for two before you go to work. How's that for motivation?"

"Really?"

"We can't have you showing up at the station smelling like the pool. After all, you're the one that pointed out all those babies probably peed in it."

He scrunched up his face. "You're really killing the shower for two mood."

"It's your fault for planting the pee in the pool idea in my head."

/

/

"Aunt Nomi! Uncle Shawn!"

She grinned as she watched Nina race down the school steps despite her teacher's warnings not to run. Naomi thought she was prepared when the five year old ball of energy flew at her, but she was still nearly knocked off balance. If not for Shawn she would've crashed to the ground. "Careful, if you break me we can't make your dress."

"I thought you were coming at dinner time."

"We wanted to surprise you."

"This is my most best surprise in a long time."

"Gee, I guess you don't have a hug for me, huh," Shawn moped, doing his best to sound sad.

She squirmed free from Naomi and threw her arms around Shawn's legs. "Hi, Uncle Shawn."

"Hi, Nina."

"I like to see you, too, but right now I am more happy to see Aunt Nomi because we can make my dress and you don't know how to make a dress. Do you?"

He looked at his fiancée and tried not to laugh. Nina was nothing if not honest. "No, I can't make a dress."

"But when you read me a bedtime story then I will be happier to see you tonight."

"Well…wow…thanks. That's special."

"I know."

Naomi scanned the schoolyard when she heard a second bell ring. "Where's Evan?"

"He comes out of that door over there." Nina pointed. "That's for the bigger kids. When I get to third grade I can use that door, too. There he is."

Though Evan kept a neutral expression on his face as he walked closer, Shawn caught his look of surprise and quick, almost-smile when he first spotted them. He wasn't sure if Evan was playing it cool in front of his friends or if it was an automatic reflex that came with years of having to keep expectations in check to avoid disappointment. Either way, he was quite familiar with both reactions and decided to respond in kind. "Hey, Evan."

"Hi."

"Good day at school?"

He shrugged. "It was okay. The best part was no more school for a week."

"I get that." He jumped when a car laid on the horn. The area was suddenly more packed then it had been just a few minutes ago. Where did these extra parents and cars suddenly come from? "Why does it look like the Indy 500 out here?"

"Dad usually waits by the curb right there and we run to the car. He never parks in the lot."

"Oh."

"Yeah," Nina chimed in, "sometimes he gets really mad and says other mommies and daddies need to get off their phones and stop driving like ass-"

Evan put his hand over his sister's mouth. "You don't get to say that word. Ow! Don't bite me."

"I was just saying what daddy says."

Naomi looked to her fiancé and sighed, knowing he wasn't going to corral them to order, at least not right now. He was still in wannabe cool uncle mode. He'd be ready to tell them what to do and be less fun in a day or two. "All right, Nina, no swearing and don't bite your brother. Evan, we'll tell her what to say or not say. Everyone get into the car. We have to go pick Milo up from your grandparents' and then we're getting lunch."

"Can I get a happy meal?"

"Can you behave the rest of the day?"

"Uh-huh. I promise."

"Evan?"

"I'm too old for a happy meal."

"You're not too old to behave."

"Fine."

/

"Aunt Nomi, look!" Nina held out her happy meal toy.

"Oh, wow. I didn't know they still made these. Talk about a time warp."

"What," Shawn asked. He was helping Milo remove the "yuck" parts of his chicken nuggets. That seemed to be most of the breading. Shawn thought that defeated the purpose of ordering chicken nuggets, but Jack had told him to just order them and remove the breading anyway. Toddlers couldn't be reasoned with.

"Seriously? It's Strawberry Shortcake." She brought the toy up to her face. "Yep, still smells the same."

"The toy has a smell?" Moments later the pink doll was being shoved under his nose. "Huh. Artificial strawberries."

"How do you not know Strawberry Shortcake?"

"I didn't have a lot of toys growing up and that definitely wasn't one of the few I did have. It looks sort of familiar. Maybe Morgan had it? I don't know. It doesn't seem like something Topanga would've had back then."

"I think my Spiderman is cooler," Evan piped in. When he realized the toy for boys was his beloved Spiderman, he suddenly changed his mind on being too old for a happy meal.

"Yeah, I'm with you: Team Spiderman. What do you think, Milo?" Shawn knew he probably wouldn't get a real answer, but sometimes it was amusing to hear the things Milo's little brain came up with. Instead of answering the question, he lined up his fries across his high chair tray before smashing them to bits with his own Spiderman toy and cramming them into his mouth. "Let's see your little Strawberry Banana Bread do that."

"Mommy and daddy are home," Nina exclaimed, pointing at the window.

Naomi watched as they slowly approached the house. She knew they were getting Calum fitted for hearing aids today and judging by their expressions it didn't go as well as they hoped. "Guys, why don't you put your jackets and backpacks in your rooms?"

"But I want to show mommy and daddy my toy."

"You can do that in a few minutes. I'm sure they'll like it even better if they're not tripping over your stuff."

"But-"

"Nina, I wasn't asking. Go put your stuff away. You, too, Evan."

He waited until Nina had a head start to her room before asking, "You think something went wrong at Calum's appointment, don't you?"

 _Damn, Rachel said the kid was perceptive_. "I'm sure things are okay. But things will be even more okay if they don't trip over your bag on their way in the door."

"Okay."

"He didn't buy it," Shawn said as Evan disappeared down the hall.

"Gee, you think?" She smiled awkwardly when Jack and Rachel came in through the back door. "Hey guys."

"Da," Milo garbled out through a mouthful of French fries, "Da!"

"How did things go," Shawn asked nervously. Rachel shook her head in response.

"Oh. That sucks."

"No, nothing sucks," Jack jumped in. "There are still a few more hearing aids that Dr. Bailey said he could try. I'm not giving up until we try them all. Right, Calum?" His heart broke when the baby looked blankly around the room as if he didn't hear him, because he hadn't. That wasn't supposed to be what was happening. He was supposed to be responding to his name. Jack had been anticipating spending the next several days reminding the kids to keep the noise down while Calum adjusted to the sound. It wasn't supposed to be just like any other week.

"But Jack-"

"I'm going to change and take the dogs on a run."

"Jack-"

"They only went on a quick walk this morning," he continued to talk on his way to the bedroom. "They need to get out before they go crazy." He slammed the door, effectively ending the conversation.

"So Jack has a heavy case of denial going on," Naomi asked.

"You heard him," Shawn jumped in. "There are still other hearing aids to test. Right, Rach?"

"He's ninety-eight percent in denial land. The hearing aids we tried today are the strongest out there. The doctor said there are one or two more we could try, but if the ones today didn't get results…"

"Shouldn't you wait before you completely kill the guy's hope?"

"You don't think I wanted Calum to hear? I did, I wanted it more than anything."

"I know."

"But it didn't happen and we don't have time to wallow and mope around wondering what if." Rachel groaned. "I guess you're the wrong person to give Jack the pep talk."

"What pep talk?"

"I was going to send you on the run with him to talk him down."

Shawn shook his head. "No, I'm not going to do that, at least not right now."

"Why?"

"You think he doesn't know the reality of the situation? Trust me, Rachel, he knows. I could tell from the look on his face."

"Then why won't you talk to him?"

"Because sometimes reality sucks! Sometimes it sucks so bad the only thing that helps is sticking your head in the sand for a while to hide. And if Jack wants to hide for a little bit I'm not going to stop him."

"But-"

"Look, if it goes past a day or two I'll say something, but right now, no, he needs space."

"You think?"

"I know."

/

/

"Now, Eric, are you sure you can fit my walnut credenza in your vehicle?"

"Trust me, Feeny, if it can handle carting all of Georgia's Christmas presents home in one shot, it can handle your desk." He crouched down and lightly shook the sides. It didn't budge. "Sturdy."

"What are you doing? This has survived over one hundred years before reaching you."

"Really?"

"Yes, as I stated a few weeks ago when I asked if you and Angela wanted it: my grandfather crafted this. Actually, he made several of the pieces that occupy this house. He was considered too sickly to join the military and he considered himself too foolish for school, but he was good with his hands. So he continued the family business in lieu of high school. I believe he made this when he was fifteen."

Eric whistled. "Wow. When I was fifteen I was…not making furniture."

"Nor was I. My family made many things: furniture, jewelry, pottery, lamps, cars-"

"Why didn't you go into the Feeny family business?"

"Because my father realized when I was very young that if he let me work with my hands I would have no hands left with which to work."

"What do you mean?"

"I destroyed our shed when I was six and playing with my chemistry set. Then when I was eight I nearly cut off two of my fingers trying to assemble a soapbox car. After that my parents decided to strongly encourage my love of reading."

"I can't picture you being young. In my mind you've just always existed in teacher mode. You're kind of like God that way."

The elder man chuckled. "Now, I'm not sure where I stand on the subject of theological studies, but I'm quite certain I'm not God."

"But you guys were probably in the same graduating class in high school, right?"

He shoved Eric's shoulder. "I suggest we get to work removing the drawers before I'm tempted to get my high school buddy on the phone and give him recommendations on where to send you."

"Ouch, nice insult, Feeny." A few minutes later they were working on the last couple of stubborn drawers. "Can I ask you something?"

"Eric, you can ask me anything."

"Why are you getting rid of so much of your stuff all of a sudden? You and Dean Feeny don't teach anymore, but you can still get use out of a desk. "

"Yes, but we're getting older. It's getting more difficult to maintain the house and keep things clean. I love this desk, but I have probably spent more time dusting it the past five years than I have actually using it for its intended purpose. I haven't needed it since I retired and ceased grading papers." George was wistful as he looked around the room. "I'm feeling the need to downsize and simplify things in my life."

"That's not a secret code language for saying you're retiring to Florida, is it? Because you know I won't let you leave. I'll lie in front of your car if I have to."

"I know you would, but, no, no Florida."

"Good. Because if I didn't get in front of the car I'd just chase you down and become your neighbor again." He tugged on the last drawer. "This one is stuck."

"Oh, yes, be careful with that one. It always gets like that when the humidity is high."

After another minute and some moderate elbow grease, the drawer came flying out. They both heard a rattling noise and looked around to see if a screw came loose and fell to the floor. "I don't see anything." Eric held in up and inspected it and realized the rattling was coming the drawer itself. "Maybe I'm crazy," he began, shaking the drawer, "but I don't think that's normal."

"There may be a hidden compartment."

"Ooh, like in a spy movie?"

"My grandfather was paranoid and often built pieces with hidden drawers so others could conceal their most precious belongings." He thought he and Lila had cleared checked all of the hiding spots.

He felt along the inside and found the latch that revealed the small corner of the compartment was a false bottom. "Missing any jewelry?"

"Jewelry?"

"Wow."

Eric stared at the rings that were now in the palm of his hand. The rings of today paled to amount of work and craftsmanship that went into one of these. They were in desperate need of a good cleaning, but they were stunning. He held one up and admired the way the swirl of rubies and diamonds shimmered in the light. "Someone in your family made these?" He examined the band next. It also had rubies and diamonds and was engraved with flowery details.

"Let me see?" He accepted the rings and immediately recognized them.. "Oh, yes, my great-grandfather gave them to my great-grandmother. And they were passed on until they got to me."

"Why didn't you give them to Dean Feeny? Or your first wife?"

"My first wife, Lillian, she was a florist and worked with her hands. She loved the rings but was so afraid of something happening to them and wanted something simpler. Lila also wished for something less…"

"Sparkly?"

He chuckled. "Yes. She's not exactly the sparkly type. They each received rings from my family, but minimal sparkle." George watched as his former student continued to study the rings. His eyes hadn't left them since they came out of the drawer. "Angela, however, she likes a bit of sparkle, doesn't she?"

"Yeah, I guess, why?"

He simply placed the rings in Eric's palm and closed his hand. "Give them to her."

"What?"

"I know you've been searching for an engagement ring."

"But, Mr. Feeny, I can't give her these."

"You told me just a few weeks ago that no ring has seemed right. Judging by the look on your face, you just saw the right one. And may I say that the other would make for a lovely wedding band."

"No, I can't accept the rings."

"Why not?"

"I don't know a lot about jewelry, but I know these are worth a lot. You could get some serious money. People will pay."

"Do you think I've hung on to them for their potential monetary value? If that were the case I would've sold them years ago when struggling on a teacher's salary. They are a small part of my family's history. The metal in these rings is platinum not because my great-grandfather was trying to show off and be extravagant, but because his intended had a nickel allergy and couldn't wear gold."

"What about the rubies?"

"Red for the passion he felt for her. And he chose the unique design instead of a more traditional look because he felt she deserved to stand out. Unfortunately this meant she couldn't wear it together with the wedding band he designed, but both rings were treasured. And after they were married her engagement ring was worn on her right hand for special occasions."

"But Feeny, I'm sure you must have some relative somewhere who would want these."

"Want them? Yes. Appreciate them…that I'm less sure of. The last thing I want is to see these sold off and melted down, picked apart for maximum financial gain. I wish I could say I trust blood relatives with that, but sadly that is not the case."

"Bummer."

"Yes."

"And you're sure you'd want to give them to me instead of family?"

"But don't you see? I am giving them to family."

For one of the few times in his life Eric Matthews was speechless. "Thanks," he croaked out once he was sure he wouldn't lose his composure. "I mean…really, thank you."

"You're quite welcome."

"Will you at least let me give you some money for them?"

"No."

"But-"

"Again, money is not my primary concern."

"But these rings are still worth a lot and I feel funny taking them for nothing."

"Tell you what, whatever money you would've paid for an engagement ring, put it towards something special for you and Angela: wedding, honeymoon, spur of the moment present…something fun."

He laughed. "Fun? I thought you'd say use it for Georgia's college fund or something responsible like that."

"Life is not all education and responsibility."

"Can I get a recording of you saying that? Because now I have truly heard it all."

/

/

Milo and Evan were in the living room playing with Legos, Nina and Naomi were at the hotel working on her flower girl dress in secret, Rachel was…well, Shawn wasn't sure where Rachel had gone, but he found Jack in the backyard with Calum. They were sitting in the grass looking at a book. "Hi."

He didn't look up. "Hey."

It had been a couple of days since the disappointment at the audiologist's office and Jack's attitude hadn't seemed to change much. "He really likes that book, huh?"

"I bought this last week. I wanted to have a special book for us to look at after the appointment on Friday."

Shawn took a seat beside his brother and smiled and waved when the baby looked at him. "What do you mean special?"

Jack pushed one of the tabs on the side and music played. He hit the tab below that and people cheered. "It's an interactive book. As you read along with the story you hit these little things. I really wanted to see his reactions when he heard them." He sighed. "Hell, I just wanted to read him a story and know he heard me."

"Sorry."

"I really thought it would work, you know? Even though they told us not to get too excited I thought it was just a bunch of bull they had to tell to other people. This was going to work for Calum. It was supposed to. Why else would they put all those videos on youtube of those cute babies hearing their parents for the first time?" He blinked back tears. "We were supposed to have that moment. I feel robbed, robbed for myself and robbed for him.

"I just want him to be a normal kid and have a normal life."

"Why," Shawn scoffed.

"What?"

He leaned over so he was in Calum's line of sight and held out his hands. When the baby moved forward to go to him he picked him up. "Normal is overrated. There are enough normal people out there putting the world to sleep. Why would you want Calum adding to that? Now he gets to be different and leave his own mark on the world. Hell, think of all the people he'll get to amaze and prove wrong along the way."

"Shawn, language."

"Hey, I'm considering that one bonus. You don't have to worry about him picking up bad words."

"I suppose." Jack laid back and stared at the sky. "But life is hard enough for people with all their senses intact. You think kids are going to be kind to a deaf kid?"

"I don't know."

"A few nights ago before bed, Nina came running into the room to tell me and Rachel her newest knock-knock joke. Is that something Calum will be able to do?"

"His ears are broke, not his sense of humor."

"I prepared for adoption. I wasn't prepared for this."

"What are you saying? Are you saying if you knew Calum would be deaf you would've told Kara no, that you wouldn't take him?"

"No, of course not. I love Calum, but…it's hard. He can't hear bedtime stories or lullabies. He doesn't know how the dogs sound when they get so excited they all start barking at once. He can't hear his own brothers and sister. He doesn't know I love you," he added in a whisper.

Shawn was quiet, trying to decide the best way to answer. Calum was indeed happily oblivious to the drama around him, but that was because he was a baby and had nothing to do with his hearing. "Yeah, fine, maybe Calum will never know what I love you sounds like, but he knows what it looks like. He sees it every day. Sure, he can't hear the stories and lullabies, but that doesn't stop you guys from talking and singing to him. You play with him and hold him when he cries. That's all he knows and what he cares about. He might be just a baby, but he gets what love is."

"You think?"

"Trust me. It's one thing to hear I love you, but if it's not backed up with actions it's meaningless. You guys show you love him every minute of the day. It doesn't matter if he can hear it or not."

"Thanks, Shawn." He heard the familiar sound of the garage door opening and sat up. "It's really early for Rachel to be coming home."

"How did she get stuck working a Saturday?"

"She's required to work one Saturday a month." Moments later his wife came running out with a huge grin on her face. "Hey, what's going on?"

"Did Naomi get back here with Nina yet?"

"I don't know. Why?"

She was practically bouncing up and down with excitement. "It's best to wait for when we're all together."

A couple minutes later they were all gathered in the living room.

"Why do we have to sit here, mommy?"

"Yeah, Rach, what's going on?"

"Shawn, Naomi, do you think you could fly back here May 21st?"

"For Milo's birthday? I'm not sure I could get the weekend off for his party because of the time I'm taking in June for the wedding and honeymoon," Naomi answered.

"No, not his party that weekend, just that Friday. It's his birthday that day, but that part is coincidence."

"Rachel, what are you talking about?"

She pulled a piece of paper out from behind her back. "We have a court date."

"Really?"

"That's right: Friday, May 21st at ten in the morning."

"Are you kidding? Of course we will be here," Naomi exclaimed. "Even if I can only fly in for a couple of hours- I'm not missing this."

"I'll bring my best camera."

Evan got up and slowly approached Rachel and took the paper from her hands. He skimmed it over, trying to understand all of the words in front of him. "Is this real?"

"Yes, it is."

"The judge is going to say we're a real family and no one can take us away from you?"

She nodded. She had been given the option of not having to go to court and having the adoption approved quickly and quietly- by the end of the week- but it seemed importantly to the kids, Evan especially, to have it done officially by a judge. "That's right. This family is forever."


	10. Chapter 10

_Sorry for the wait. I know updates don't come as regularly in my attempt to alternate between stories, but I'm just trying to make sure I don't update too much of one at the expense of the other._

 _Thanks for the feedback to the previous chapter and your endless patience between updates. :-)_

* * *

"Nice, huh?"

Max took the ring box from Eric and whistled his approval. "Wow."

"Careful. I just got them back from the jeweler this morning." He'd waited all day to show off the rings to his friend, deciding the best time would me after the late night news before heading home. The station was practically a ghost town then, only essential people. "They're all clean, no loose stones...perfect!"

"And Mr. Feeny just gave these to you?"

"I tried to give him money but-"

"Man, that is so typical Eric Matthews' dumb luck."

He took the box back. "Excuse me?"

"Let me tell you how the rest of the world works. The rest of us have to scrimp and save and wonder if there's any truth to those stupid articles about how many months' salary you have to blow on one freaking ring or else she'll think you don't really love her."

"Again, tried to give the man money, he refused."

"Lucky bastard," Max grumbled. "I bet if you were to trip over a hole in the street there would be money in it, too, a hundred dollars!"

"Hey, that only happened the one time. And it was fifty dollars."

"Still, luck. I spent so much time stressing over rings and these fall into your lap."

"I stressed over rings before, remember?"

"What are you talking about?"

"A couple years ago when I planned on proposing to Hollie," Eric reminded him. "And then coming up with a proposal..."

"You wanted it to be big."

"It was going to be at my thirtieth birthday party, right after everyone sang, but before I blew out the candles." He shook his head. It all seemed so stupid now. "When Hollie asked me what I was going to wish for I'd say forever with her and get down on one knee in front of everyone. Dumb, huh," he asked with a wry chuckle.

"No, it would've been great proposal- a memorable one. Hollie just wasn't worthy of it."

"Yeah." It killed him that it was so easy to think up what he thought was the perfect proposal for Hollie, but for Angela nothing seemed good enough.

Max noticed his friend's faraway look as he gazed at the ring box. "What's going on? Where's your head at?"

"I was so in love with Hollie, but blind to who she really was. She was screwing around with Vince for months- in our apartment…our bed- before I caught them together and figured it out. I still can't believe she fooled me for so long. I was so stupid."

"We've all been stupid over a woman. And hey, at least with Hollie you realized what it was you wanted out of life. You knew you wanted marriage, house, kids…and look at you now! You've got almost all that stuff even if it did come at you in a backwards order." He slapped Eric's shoulder. "Maybe if you never went through all that crap with Hollie you wouldn't be able to appreciate what you have with Angela now."

"You might be right about that."

"Of course I am. So tell me, how are you going to pop the question?"

"I have no idea. I want to do something big and romantic- really sweep her off of her feet. Angela deserves it. But she would kill me if I pulled any kind of public proposal. It's not her. She only just forgave me for accidentally letting the entire country know she was in labor when I was on _Rise and Shine, America_."

"Well, I'm sure however you do it, it will beat my proposal to Gina."

"I don't think I ever heard that story."

"Because it's not that impressive, at least as far as proposals go."

"What happened?"

"I had dinner reservations and then a private tour of the planetarium set up. She's always wanted to see a shooting star, but since we can't predict nature I thought the next best thing would be to sit with her under a virtual blanket of stars and show her one as best I could."

"Nice."

"Yeah, it would've been, except when I was getting ready to leave I couldn't find the ring. I'm tearing the house apart and then I hear Moose in the corner trying to hack something up."

"You're telling me the dog ate the ring?"

" _And_ the box- which was the real issue. That's what required surgery." Eric tried- and failed- to hold in his laughter. "Hey, it's not funny."

"I'm sorry, but I thought that only happened on TV. What did you do?"

"I called Gina to cancel our date because I had to take Moose to the emergency vet. You know, as much as I hate that the proposal was ruined, it kind of reinforced that she was in for the long haul."

"What do you mean?"

"She met me there." He smirked at the memory. "Do you have any idea how ridiculous we looked all dressed up in that waiting room? I was in my best suit and she was in a killer black dress. But Gina didn't care about a wrecked date. She just wanted Moose to be okay. All she cared about was my dumb dog."

"So when did you propose?"

"While we were sitting there the conversation turned to one day imagining bringing kids to the waiting room when they do something stupid. I asked her if she wanted to be the one sitting next to me in waiting rooms for the next however many years to deal with pet and kid stupidity and emergencies."

"That's…sort of sweet."

"It worked for us, but I'd still rather have done it the way I planned. Figure out what works for you and Angela."

"I just really don't want to end up proposing in front of the TV while eating takeout after I get home from work."

"If she wants it to be just the two of you that just might do the trick."

"It would work but it's not special."

"Have you told her dad yet?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know, her dad: big, tall, retired army guy- you talk to him yet?"

Eric frowned. He and Sgt. Moore have discussed the future before and he had made it clear that yes, he did plan to ask Angela to marry him one day- he wanted to be with her forever- but he wouldn't rush it. It hadn't occurred to him that the man might be expecting more. Frankly, he found the whole 'asking for the daughter's hand in marriage' tradition to be outdated and a little creepy. Having a daughter now didn't change that for him. He only asked Hollie's father before his proposal that never was because she insisted it be done. "No."

"No?"

"Angela's an independent, capable woman. She's her own person and definitely knows how to run her life. I love that about her. She hasn't lived with her dad in years and just started talking to him again after Georgia was born. I don't need to ask his permission. In fact, I think Angela would be pissed if I asked someone else, even her father, for permission to marry her. It would be like saying she can't make her own choices."

"I didn't mean it like that, but kudos to you for being an evolved man of today," Max fired back sarcastically.

"How else could you mean it?"

"Look, Gina suggested that her dad might appreciate a head's up before I proposed just to feel involved. So I did- took him out to dinner, treated him to the cigars he loves but her step-mom always gets on his case for smoking, told him how much I loved his daughter, and said I was going to propose. I didn't ask. I informed him."

"Sgt. Moore already knows I want to marry Angela. I was just waiting for the timing to be right."

"Then I guess it's settled."

"I thought so, but thanks for giving me something else to worry about!" He punched Max's arm.

"Ow! I'm just trying to help."

"Then help me come up with ideas for proposing." Still, he couldn't stop wondering if Angela's dad was expecting to be informed before he proposed. "That's what I need."

"You're overthinking this, granted that's a change for you, but you really are. For some wacky reason Angela loves you and would say yes even if you woke her up and asked her as soon as you got home with no fancy plans."

"You've obviously never seen Angela right when she wakes up," he said with a quiet laugh. "And someone aside from Georgia waking her- she'll make you pay."

"Just don't stress about it. You'll think of something. If you need help with any set up, let me know."

"Like, if I were to get a nice hotel room you'd watch Georgia for the night kind of help?"

"More like I'd help you get luggage to the hotel and watch you drop your teething kid off with her grandparents, that kind of help." He stood and went towards the door. "I asked Gina to marry me in the waiting area at the emergency vet. So long as you don't actually pop the question in a human emergency room you'll have me beat."

"That's true. Thanks for setting the bar low."

"What are friends for?"

"Damned if I know."

/

/

"Alvin, what are you still doing awake," Trish asked as she closed and locked the front door. She had been expecting her big brother to be asleep by now. He got tired early these days. Perhaps it was a good sign.

"Someone had to make sure your date brought you home at a decent hour. I suppose eleven is considered decent in certain places."

She smiled at the sarcasm in his voice. "It took a while to get out of the parking lot after the concert."

"I remember parking lots after concerts," he noted, never looking up from the table. "Shall I kill the good doctor tonight or tomorrow?"

"Charles was a perfect gentleman, if you must know."

"I didn't, but it's good to hear."

Trish pulled out a chair and took a seat beside him. "I don't know if I can ever get used to this...dating. I go out and they are perfectly nice men and I enjoy their company, but I keep comparing them to..." She shook her head. "I thought it was supposed to get easier but I still miss Roger."

"There's no timetable for grief, Patricia."

"It took me almost five years to take off my wedding ring and even then all I did was moved it to my right hand." She stared at her ring for a few moments before turning her attention back to Alvin. He had his laptop, notebooks, and photo albums taking up most of the table and crumpled papers were tossed around the room. "Why don't you tell me what you're up to? I could use the distraction."

"I'm working on something for Georgia."

"Oh, like a scrapbook?"

"Maybe. I wasn't sure if that was the way to go or if I should try to write my memoirs...my life in my words for my granddaughter."

"That's very sweet. Can I ask what brought this on?"

"I have to face the fact that I may not be around to see her grow up."

"Alvin, don't talk like that. The treatments are working and-"

"The treatments are simply delaying the inevitable. There has been no grand remission."

"But the tumors haven't grown either. You're stable."

"How much longer will that last?"

"Are you kidding? You're going to be around to annoy the hell out of me for years to come," she stated with confidence, though the tears in her eyes gave her away.

"I hope so, but I have to be realistic. I want Georgia- and any siblings she may or may not have- to know me…all of me- good, bad, stupid, and ugly. I need to do this."

"Why don't you ask Angela for help? She is a writer and I'm sure she would love to-"

"No. I need this to be from me, in my own words. Besides, I don't want to worry Angela or dredge up topics that would hurt her. Right now she deserves to be happy and to be enjoying time with Eric and Georgia, not babying me- which she would do."

"If you're sure this is the way you want to handle this."

"I am."

"Okay."

"She can blow kisses now, you know?"

"Excuse me?"

"Georgia, she can blow kisses. I talked with Angela on Skype earlier tonight and Georgia was showing off her new tricks. I don't know if she's realized I'm on the screen, but she kept waving and blowing kisses at me."

"That's sweet."

"And with the way she repeats certain sounds over and over it sounds like she'll be talking soon." He sighed. "She's growing so fast. She'll be one in a few months."

"It seems like yesterday I was there when Angela and Eric brought home a tiny newborn."

"Oh, Angela said they're planning a small birthday party for her. Obviously no details yet, but it will be either the weekend before her or the weekend after her actual birthday since it falls during the middle of the week. She wanted me to tell you so you made sure to get time off of work to fly to Philadelphia with me."

"I'll put in for the time off next week." She kissed his cheek before standing. "I'm going to bed. Don't stay up too late."

"We'll see." A while later Alvin was staring at the computer screen. The words were starting to blur together and he was no longer able to tell if things made sense. Did this ever happen to Angela? He closed his laptop and was about to call it a night when his phone buzzed. Who on earth could that be at this hour? When he saw that the text was from Eric his mind immediately jumped to worst case scenarios. Was Angela okay? Was it Georgia? He opened the text and was momentarily confused when he saw that it only contained a picture. Then another text came through. _'Angela's engagement ring,'_ he read. Engagement ring? Does that mean-

As if Eric could read his thoughts, he sent another text. _'I haven't proposed yet. Still trying to come up with something as perfect as she is.'_

A wave of relief washed over him. For a moment he was worried that they were already engaged and neglected to tell him. He wanted to share in these happy moments with his daughter for as long as he was around to do so.

' _What do you think,_ ' the following text read.

What did he think? For the first time he touched the screen to enlarge the image. It certainly didn't look like any engagement ring he had ever seen. It was different. Unique. It stood out. Just like Angela. _'It's_ _beautiful,_ ' he typed. _'She will love it.'_

/

Eric exhaled when he read the text. Even after thinking it over he felt weird about the idea of asking for Angela's hand, but there was no harm in keeping Sgt. Moore informed.

/

/

"…and this is the upward dog pose, or some people call it the cobra pose," Angela explained to Georgia, who lay beside her on the mat. "It's similar to your moves when you were learning to crawl, right?" She looked over at her daughter and found that she no longer had a captive audience. There was something else keeping the baby occupied. "Do you have your feet in your mouth _again_ , baby girl? People are going to think I don't feed you." She discovered her feet a few days ago and had been cramming them into her mouth every chance she got. What surprised Angela most was how quickly the baby learned to remove her socks, simply for the hand-eye coordination it required. It didn't seem like something she should be able to do already. "Okay, if that's how you want to play, mama's game."

"Either that is the most shameless come on I've ever seen or…or…I don't even know." It wasn't uncommon for Eric to find Angela doing her yoga with Georgia in tow, but never quite like this. "What the hell are you doing?"

She craned her neck to look at him. "I'm just showing some solidarity with our daughter. She likes to lie on her back and hold her feet-"

"Yeah, she also tries to eat them."

"-so I thought I would see what all the fuss is about."

"What's the verdict?"

"Babies are weird. And I'm long overdue for a pedicure," she noted, wiggling her toes. "It is a good stretch though. You should try."

"I think I'm good." He still got down on the floor and lay beside them. "How has she been this morning?"

"Cranky, hungry, happy, cranky again, and now silly: in that order."

"Do you think she's up for the baseball game today?"

Angela sighed. Eric really wanted to introduce her to baseball. She understood. There were things she couldn't wait to introduce Georgia to as well. Heck, she already did yoga with the baby. However, she worried he wasn't being realistic. There were grand visions in his head of this well-behaved infant who would be too captivated to cry the entire eight innings. Or was it nine? "I don't know. It's a long game and her nap time falls right in the middle of it. Her Little Miss Diva meter is turned all the way up to eleven before a nap."

"Yeah, but she seemed to handle the crowds at Josh's cross country meet and even fell asleep. She passed out during Max's kids' T-ball game, too." He propped himself up on his elbows and looked at Angela, seeing the skepticism all over her face. "I know it's silly but it's important to me. Can't we at least try it and see how she reacts? If she turns into a full blown diva I'll walk around with her. They even have an area designed for small kids full of toys and games. I already bought headphones for her to drown out noise if needed, and-"

"Okay, okay. Since it sounds like you have a backup plan in place…we can try."

"Really?" He leaned over the baby to kiss Angela. "Thanks."

"I'm sorry if I sounded a little nuts. There's just nothing worse than those public meltdowns."

"I know. I hate them, too. It would be really cool to share this with her though. Plus think about it this way: if you still hate baseball after today, I'll have someone to go to games with and won't ask you to come along."

"Huh. Good point." She leaned up to kiss him again, laughing when the Georgia began to whine and flail her limbs about. "Uh-oh, is someone not the center of attention for a moment and can't handle it?"

"Maybe she's afraid I'll crush her." He sat up and stared down at the baby. "What are you doing, drooley?"

"Nice."

"What? It's not like I can call her baldy anymore." Eric rubbed the top of her head. "It's growing so fast."

Angela reached out and touched the ends of Georgia's dark hair. It was difficult to tell at this point if it was brown or black in color. "She's still a long way from a haircut. We can't even put a bow or barrette in to stay yet."

He smiled when Georgia pulled on his arm to get herself into a sitting position. "Hey, that was pretty smart there, kid."

"It blows my mind everything she can do and all that she's learned. Especially in the past month it seems like she can do so much. Her body is finally catching up to her brain."

"And yet she'd still rather eat her feet," he said with a chuckle when she leaned back against his legs as support when she crammed a foot in her mouth. "Goofball." He turned his attention back to Angela. "You know, I was thinking that it's been a while since we've had a proper date night."

"Yeah?"

"Maybe we should try it again sometime soon."

"I'd love that. I miss spending time just the two of us, time that isn't squeezed between work and naps, that is."

"I miss it, too."

"Did you have anything special in mind?"

"We've been meaning to go back to the restaurant we went to for our anniversary."

"The food was amazing."

"Or I just heard about this steakhouse that opened that has a library inside. I like to eat and you like to read."

"That sounds interesting. See, those are two date ideas right there. Now we just have to pry ourselves away from the baby and make it out of the house."

"And stay awake," he joked.

"That, too. I suppose date nights would be good practice for being without Georgia Memorial Day weekend."

"What are you talking about?"

"She's going camping with your parents and Josh, remember? You dad asked me about it way back when I was pregnant. I'm not even sure if I was showing yet when he asked he was so excited to share the experience with his grandchild. We still have about two months to prepare ourselves, but maybe it would be good to slowly get Georgia used to spending some time away from us."

"My mom would love to babysit overnight sometime. She's always angling for more Georgia time."

"I guess it would be good practice all around. We can prepare for the separation and your parents can get used to dealing with a baby all night."

"I can ask if they're available tomorrow night, not for all night baby-sitting," he reassured Angela. He knew she needed more than a day's notice to prepare for time away. Frankly, he did, too. "But we can go out to dinner."

"That would be nice. If we keep putting off the dates they'll never happen."

"Sorry about that."

"You have non-typical work hours and we have a baby. Those are the best excuses for dates not happening."

"Still, it would be nice to have a date that didn't take place in front of the TV in the middle of the night."

"Hey, I love our takeout nights. I love that we've always been comfortable enough to do that with each other. I don't need nights out. I love being with you, wherever and whenever possible," she added before kissing him. "I only hope I'm not boring you."

He looked at her, surprised. "Boring me? Are you crazy? Coming home and cuddling in front of the TV in my underwear with you and food- pretty much my idea of heaven. If anyone has to be bored it would be you. You've been all over the world and have seen some pretty exotic stuff."

"Eric, you are many things, but boring is not one of them. And I think deep down I've always been a homebody. I just never had a real home where I wanted to stay before now. Going out was a way to distract myself from how lonely I was. Trust me. I wouldn't trade what we have for Rome, London, Sydney, or any other city- no matter how fancy."

"But I suppose it wouldn't hurt to get out of our underwear and away from the television every once in a while, huh?"

"There are two ways to take that statement, but you're right. I do love dressing up and getting to look like someone besides Georgia's mama sometimes. I want to be beautiful for you."

"You don't need to get dressed up for that."

She smiled. "Thank you, but like you said, it wouldn't hurt to put in a little effort now and then so we don't get lazy and complacent."

"Do you know what would make you look insanely hot right now?"

"What?"

"If you wear the Phillies t-shirt and hat I bought you for the game."

"You mean the matching shirts you bought the three of us?"

"And the hat, you can't forget the hat. It makes the outfit."

/

/

"Aunt Nomi, why do you and Uncle Shawn have to go back to New York?"

She briefly glanced at Nina before turning her attention back to their project. The flower girl dress was almost finished and she wasn't about to ruin it by not paying attention to the needle in her hand. "Honey, we live in New York. Our apartment is there and so are our jobs."

"You should live here," she said, stomping her feet. "Or I will tell mommy and daddy we need to move there."

Naomi smiled. Shawn already spent every flight home debating the pros and cons of moving to Texas and she knew this time would be no different. It would be worse, however, if he heard Nina's pleas and guilt trip. "We visit each other a lot and talk all the time on Skype."

"But it's not the same. I like having all of us together."

"I know, honey, I do, too."

"So move here," Nina stated, as if it was as simple as her wishing for it to happen.

She knew she could debate and get into a long, confusing, back and forth discussion about why a move wasn't happening, at least not anytime in the near future, but that would be futile. Arguing with a five year old was the definition of insanity, especially when that five year old could argue as well as Nina. It didn't help that she already knew how to work the face and those puppy dog eyes to try and get her way. "You know what?"

"What?"

"I think we're finished with your dress," Naomi said, holding up the garment for examination.

"Really?"

"You want to try it on?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Please?" A few minutes later Nina was twirling around in front of the mirror. "This is my most prettiful dress ever! Thank you."

She kissed the top of her head. "You're welcome. Thank you for helping me. You did a very good job sewing the flower on." And she had done a good job. Naomi only had to make a few minor corrections. She let Nina twirl around and model a little longer. "Okay, I think it's time to change."

"Aw, man!"

"We don't want anything to mess it up, right?"

"I guess not." She held the ends and swished it back and forth.

"You can try it on again before I go back home and I will keep it safe before the wedding."

"And you won't let Uncle Shawn see it?"

"I promise. Your dress will be a surprise like mine."

"But you showed me a picture of your dress."

"That's because I trust you to keep it a secret."

"You look like Cinderella in your wedding dress…if she had black hair."

"Thank you." She retrieved the tiara she bought to go along with Nina's dress and placed it on the girl's head. "You look like Cinderella, too…if she had brown hair."

"Can I be Belle? Because she already does have brown hair."

"You got it."

/

"What do you think my new middle name should be?"

"Evan, it's up to you. You don't have to change your middle name if you don't want to. If you just want to change the first and keep the middle the same then-"

"No," he said, interrupting Rachel. "My old middle name is my old dad's name. I want all new names."

"Whatever you want. How about you make a list of the names you like and we'll talk about it later, okay?"

He took the name book from the table and nodded. "I will work on my list right now."

As soon as he was gone Rachel laid her head on the kitchen table and stared at Jack and Shawn. "We're going to be going over names until adoption day."

"I don't get it. I understand why he wants to change his name, but he's treating it like this is going to completely erase that part of his life."

"In a way it is," Shawn spoke up.

"What do you mean?"

"First promise me you're not going to take any of this personally because it has nothing to do with you."

Jack groaned. "I hate when you start conversations like that. But fine, go ahead."

"There's a lot of baggage that can come with a name. Do you know how many times I wished I was something other than a Hunter? Or someone besides Chet's son? Hunters, to me, were not happy people and have miserable lives. Maybe they bought into idea that Hunters were cursed and supposed to be miserable, or maybe it was just bad luck. I'm not sure."

"Shawn, it's not-"

"Hey, don't take it personally, remember? You're a Hunter in name, but you didn't grow up around them like I did."

"You say that like I had a choice in the matter. Besides, if being a Hunter is such a bad thing why is Evan so anxious to be one?"

"All I'm saying is that with a name come expectations and prejudices. Or it can go the other way with nepotism. Come on, Jack, how many times in your life have you name dropped your stepdad to help things go your way?"

"I haven't done that in years."

"But you still did it because you know what his name means in the business world. And the second people knew he was your stepdad they treated you different…better?"

"I guess."

"Names mean something. I came to terms with mine for the most part, but if I had a chance to completely erase it when I was Evan's age…maybe I would've."

"What about the quote, "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet," Rachel asked. "It doesn't matter what your name is, you're still you. Only you can define who you are."

"A name can impact that, good and bad. It reminds you of where you came from. And right now Evan hates the baggage that comes along with his old name. It's everything he doesn't want to be. I know it's exhausting listening to him go over names- he must've gone over every name from letter A to L before you came into the room. But I shut up and listened because I get why it's important."

"You know you can sound pretty smart when you want to."

"That's all Nomi's influence."

"What's my influence?"

He spun around and saw her standing in the doorway with Nina. "Oh, hey, no I was just saying how being with you makes me all, you know…smart sounding and stuff."

"Oh, okay."

"We finished my dress," Nina announced. "And it is so prettiful."

"I think you mean beautiful," Rachel corrected with a laugh.

"Mommy, it's pretty and beautiful. And that makes it prettiful."

"Can we see it?"

"No! It's a secret."

"Well, look at you Miss Fancypants."

"It's a dress, daddy."

"You guys definitely don't sound too smart right now," Shawn joked.

"And Uncle Shawn you can't look at my dress either. Aunt Nomi is going to hide it at your house."

"I promise I won't look."

"I know what I want my new middle name to be," Evan announced as he came back into the room.

"That was fast."

"What is it, pal?"

"McGuire."

Rachel brought a hand to her heart and tried not to get too excited. "Really?"

"Yeah, this way I have names from both you and dad. Is it okay?"

"It's more than okay. It's perfect. I think Evan McGuire Hunter sounds great. Grampy will be thrilled."

"I want a new name, too," Nina exclaimed, shooting a hand into the air. "But I want to keep Nina because I like being Nina."

"You are a perfect Nina."

"So you want to change your middle name?"

"I'm boring of Ruby. I get tired of you saying it when I'm in trouble."

The adults laughed, but Evan said, "Then stop getting in trouble."

She stuck her tongue out at her brother before continuing. "So can I change it?"

"If you want to," Rachel started, having visions of her wanting her name to be Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty or even Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash after her favorite My Little Ponies. "It's your name."

"Is there more names from families like Evan is using?"

She trying to come up with something Nina would like and wouldn't leave hurt feelings. "Oh, you know what? Both of your grandmas have the same middle name. It's Victoria." There, if Nina liked it they had a name that would make both her mother and mother-in-law happy. "It means victory."

"Like I win? I'm a winner?"

"Yes."

"Say it all together so I can hear how it sounds."

"Nina Victoria Hunter."

The girl repeated it quietly to herself a few times before nodding. "I like it. It sounds like a princess name."

"Milo needs a new middle name, too," Evan jumped in.

"Well, if we're trying to hit all branches of the family tree," Jack started nervously, "I know it would mean a lot to my stepdad if we used his dad's name. He was a great guy- a great grandfather. He never treated me any different from my cousins he was related to by blood."

"What was his name?"

"Bartholomew."

She wrinkled her nose. "Bartholomew?"

"Isn't that Bart Simpson's full name?"

"I know it's not the best name, but like I said, it would mean a lot to my stepdad. If you don't like Bartholomew, he did have two middle names."

"What were they?"

"Jasper and Woodrow."

"Did his parents hate him," Shawn asked. "That's a lot of name especially once you add in the last name."

Rachel took a deep breath. She could see it meant a lot to Jack as well, not just his step-father. "All right, I'll agree to Bartholomew on one condition."

"What?"

"If Milo decides he hates it when he's older I'm sending him to you."

/

/

"…and this is a picture of Georgia during her first seventh inning stretch. She was so cute and into everyone singing along. Here she is with the foul ball Angela caught in the eighth, and-"

"Okay, I get it," Max interrupted. "She had fun at the game."

"She had a blast, only cried a couple times and one of those was because we wouldn't share our cotton candy with her."

"You do realize you're turning into one of _those_ parents, don't you?"

"What parents?"

"The ones who think everything their kid does is so special and amazing and they just shove pictures into the faces of everyone."

"You have met Georgia, right? She is pretty amazing. Besides, don't act like you don't do the same with your kids. How many times did I watch the videos of Leo's first solo trip down the big kid slide or Tess counting to 100?"

"Those are accomplishments. It took Leo a long time to work up the nerve to…" He trailed off as he realized what he was saying. "Damn it, I'm a boring parent, too!"

"We're not boring."

"You never think it's going to happen to you," Max continued, "but these kids just warp your mind. I wonder if it's the sleep deprivation that blinds you to how dull you become."

"My life has gotten about a million times more fun since Georgia was born." He looked up when there was a knock at the door and was surprised to see Angela standing there. She was supposed to meet him for dinner during his break- their effort to take time out just for themselves- but that wasn't until later. "Hey, this is a surprise. What happened, did my mom ask for more Georgia time?"

"I dropped Georgia off at Max's house. Gina's watching her."

That was news to him. "She's at my house?"

Eric didn't like how serious Angela looked and was overcome with a feeling of impending doom. "What's going on?" He walked over and took her hands. "Is something wrong?"

"Your mom called me a little while ago. She and your dad were in the backyard talking to Mr. Feeny and Lila and well…look, she said he was conscious the whole time and he appears stable and-"

"Who's stable? Did something happen to my dad?"

She shook her head and clenched his hands tighter. "It's Mr. Feeny."


	11. Chapter 11

_I know, I know. I'm terrible. It's been forever. I've just been so overrun with work lately it's hard to have time for anything else. But trust me, writing would be more fun than 10+ hour days, six days a week of my actual job. Maybe the lottery will pan out for me someday, lol. And I'm sorry for such a long wait with a Feeny cliffhanger of sorts. That seems especially mean. Such a long delay was unintentional. Work is kicking my butt._

 _Anyway, onto what you really care about. This is more like chapter 11 part 1. (I find that happens with my writing a lot.) The next chapter or two will more or less continue immediately after this and then the chapters after those will have a small time jump._

 _Thank you so much for your patience and your feedback. I sound like a broken record, but it is always appreciated, especially with the delays. :-)_

* * *

Hospitals were loud. Eric knew that was an odd thought to be having at a time like this, but it was all he could focus on. The clock ticking, pages over intercom system, nurses shoving clipboards into their slots, hell…even shoes were noisy. Sneakers squeaked and heels and other dress shoes clacked across the tile. It was a lot. How do patients rest and get better with all of the distractions? Suddenly, there was a new sound, softer, more soothing than the others: quiet music that sounded like it came from one of Georgia's toys. "What's that?"

His parents jumped, as did Angela. No one had spoken in quite a while. "Oh, they play a lullaby all throughout the hospital whenever a new baby arrives," Amy answered, finding her voice first.

"Did it happen with Georgia?"

She smiled, remembering the happier time spent in a waiting room. "Yes. Every time we heard the music that night we were excited and got our hopes up that she was born."

"Cool."

They fell silent again. Every once in a while Angela would get a text or a picture from Gina about the baby and, if it was especially cute, she'd share with the room.

"Mom! Dad!" Cory came running down the hall with Topanga trailing slightly behind, holding onto his hand. "What's going on? How is Mr. Feeny?"

They stood to greet them. "We haven't been given any updates since we last talked."

"But they're sure he had a stroke? It's not a mistake?"

"The doctors seem quite certain."

"Then it's a good thing you got him here," Topanga said.

"We knew something wasn't right no matter how fine he insisted he was."

"What happened?"

"We were in the yard talking to him and Lila about their trip to Rhode Island to visit friends this past weekend. He showing us the first edition books he found visiting the antiques mall up there when…I'm still not entirely sure what happened. It was like he wasn't there, just checked out mentally."

"He snapped out of it a few seconds later," Alan continued, "but his speech was slurred and he was putting words in the wrong order."

"That doesn't sound like Mr. Feeny at all."

"Exactly. He tried to shrug it off and blamed it on only having a light breakfast and no lunch, but when he turned around to go into the house he stumbled a bit, lost his balance, and dropped his books. He caught himself so he didn't fall or hit his head, but after that we decided not to chance it and called an ambulance."

Angela caught the dazed look on Topanga's face and led her over to the row of chairs and sat her down. She retrieved a bottle of water from the bag on the table. When she realized they were going to be waiting a while she hit up vending machines for a variety of drinks. "Here, you look like you could use this."

"Thanks, though my nerves could probably go for something a little harder."

"You want me to track down some mineral water," she joked. Topanga didn't laugh. "Come on, that was funny."

She offered a half smile, but it was phony and didn't reach her eyes. "Sorry, I just…it's Mr. Feeny. He's been a part of my life- our lives- forever. I can't imagine him not being…I'm so scared."

"I know. I am, too. Seriously though, I have juice and soda if you want something else."

"Water will be fine."

"How's Cory holding up?"

"About as well as any of us, I suppose. How is Eric?"

Her gaze wandered across the waiting room to her boyfriend, who was leaning against the wall seemingly involved in the conversation with Cory and their parents. However, Angela could tell from the look on his face that he wasn't really listening to them. "He's quiet, which means he's a nervous wreck. If he wasn't worried he'd be making jokes and trying to keep everyone's spirits up."

"Yeah, he's always been good at that."

"When are they going to tell us what's going on?" Cory's voice echoed throughout the waiting area. "I want to see him."

"Honey, the doctors are taking care of him and figuring out exactly what happened. Lila is with him so he isn't alone. They may not tell us anything or let us in to see him since, technically, we aren't family."

"How can you say we're not family?! I've known the man my whole life and our family has lived next door to-"

"Cory, calm down. I know you're worried- we all are- but ranting and raving won't fix anything."

He ran his hands across his face and exhaled. "Sorry, I just hate not knowing."

"We all do, but unfortunately, all we can do right now is wait. Come on, let's sit down," she said, leading him over to sit beside his wife.

"Did you get ahold of Shawn and Naomi," Alan asked.

"Yeah, they should be on their way soon. Since they just got back from Texas this is their first week back at work and Naomi tried, but they were short staffed and she couldn't leave early."

"And I left a message for Morgan to call after her last class."

"Is there anyone else we should call," Angela pondered aloud. "I know he doesn't have much family that he chooses to associate with, but those that are around should know, right?"

"We'll leave that up to Lila. I know he has a niece that he talks to and sees on occasion, but I'm not sure about anyone else."

"Oh, yeah, Eric, didn't you go on a date with Mr. Feeny's niece," Cory asked his brother, attempting to lighten the mood. He received no response. Eric continued to lean against the wall, arms crossed, staring blankly across the room. "Hello, earth to Eric."

Angela went over to him and ran her hand along his arm, effectively snapping him out of whatever trance he was in. "Hey, it's okay," she soothed when he about hit the ceiling, "just me. Are you all right?"

"Y-yeah." He sighed. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just hate this. I hate all of it."

"I know, me, too. You want to go take a walk, get some fresh air and get out of here for a few minutes?"

"No. I'm not going anywhere until we know what happened. I can't leave Feeny."

"Okay." She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. "Do you want me to text Gina and ask her to send me more pictures and videos of Georgia for a distraction?"

He nodded. "I need a reason to smile right now."

She retrieved her phone from her pocket and quickly sent the text. "Done. Anything else I can do?"

"Stay here with me?"

"You don't even have to ask that."

"Then tell me everything is going to be okay."

She bit her lip and found herself unable to look Eric in the eye. She wanted Mr. Feeny to come walking from behind the swinging doors, apologize for scaring everyone, and say it was a false alarm or even the world's meanest prank, but the odds of that happening were next to impossible.

"You can't say it, can you," he questioned after the silence seemed to stretch on for an eternity.

"If it helps, I wish I could. Believe me. I want nothing more."

"I guess that has to be good enough for now."

"Come on," she said, linking her arm through his. "Let's go sit with everyone else and you can tell me about the time you dated Mr. Feeny's niece."

His head snapped up. "Who told you about that?"

"A little birdie mentioned it."

"Cory, you've got a big mouth."

"What did I do?"

"We only went out once or twice when Jessica was in town visiting Feeny."

"That's it." Cory snapped his fingers. "Jessica. That was her name. She was really pretty, too."

"You know, I'm kind of surprised you didn't try to make it work with this Jessica and marry her," Angela said.

Eric's mind immediately went to the rings he had hidden in a closet at home. Was she onto him somehow? "What do you mean?"

"Well, you love Mr. Feeny so much I figured you'd jump at the chance to be related to him." She nearly laughed at his expression. "That just occurred to you, huh?"

"Sort of, yeah. But I was only fifteen when I took her out. I wasn't looking for a commitment. I was thinking, _'oooh, pretty.'_ That was my main priority: pretty girl on my arm to kiss me and laugh at my jokes. And even then laughing at my jokes wasn't that important."

"Lucky for me."

"It worked out for me, too."

Angela leaned forward for a lingering kiss. "Good to hear."

The reprieve from the stress was short lived as moments later Lila came out from behind the doors accompanied by a doctor. She held her hands up before anyone could even say a word. "Before you ask- I'm fine. George is…as okay as he can be given the situation, and I asked Dr. Powell here to come explain what is going on because I would surely screw it all up. So, Dr. Powell…" she paused and gestured to the doctor, "take it away."

Eric clung to Angela's hand, listening as the doctor threw around terms like ischemic, left frontal brain, limited right mobility, aphasia, dysphagia, I.V., oxygen, serious condition, and intensive care. He didn't know what most of it meant, but he was pretty sure it was all bad. His parents were asking questions, but though he heard their voices, the words didn't make sense. Hell, nothing made sense to him right now. Maybe he should've gone to medical school. He could've been a doctor and would understand everything and been back there helping to take care of-

"-but the good thing is George got to the hospital very early on. Believe me when I say that early treatment can make a world of difference."

"So that means he's going to be okay," Cory asked.

"Son, I'm not in the habit of making promises, but I will say is that he's stubborn as a mule and I'd give him a fighting chance."

"He certainly is stubborn," Lila agreed with a chuckle. "He's pulled out his I.V. six times already."

"Way to go, George," Alan said. "Give 'em hell."

"Oh, that he is. If the nurses do not go home tonight in tears of frustration, questioning their career choices, I will be surprised."

Eric stood and spoke quietly, "Um, doctor…is there…I mean should we have known? Were there warning signs we missed?" He shoved his hands into his pockets. "I was with him not too long ago picking up something from his house and I thought he seemed fine. He was a little tired, but I figured he's old. Tired comes with the territory. No offense Dean Feeny."

Lila walked over to Eric and gave him a hug. That had been among her first questions when they arrived at the hospital. _Did she miss something? Did she fail her husband in some way by not seeing the signs?_ "You picked up the desk a couple weeks ago. Dr. Powell assured me the absolute earliest a sign of his particular stroke would've been seen was about a week prior. If there were symptoms they were either so slight George himself didn't notice or he simply shrugged them off as something else, something minor." She pulled away and forced Eric to look at her. "There is nothing you could've seen or done to prevent this, okay? Playing the blame game is useless."

His vision was blurred with tears and he blinked furiously in an effort to eliminate them. If Lila could remain calm then surely he could hold himself together. "Okay," he whispered. "Can we see him?"

"They're a little strict on who they let into intensive care, but I'm working on that."

"Yes, Lila explained to me your unique familial relationship with the patient and I am happy to inform you that hospitals- most hospitals at least- are loosening up their definition of what family means. In our eyes, if you are important to the patient, that makes you family, blood relation or not. And you are all important to George. However, at the moment he needs his rest. These early hours are very crucial for treatment and recovery."

"Oh. I see. Thank you." He felt Angela's arms encircle his waist and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, almost feeling as if he needed her support to remain upright. He didn't argue when she ushered him to a couch in a quiet corner.

"Are you okay?" When he didn't respond, Angela cupped his face in her hands and made him look at her. "Hey, talk to me."

Eric shook his head and gently pushed her away. "Not now."

She didn't give him the distance he sought. "Don't go trying to pull some macho, tough guy act. That's not you and never has been. You've always been the one with the biggest heart and you wear it proudly on your sleeve. If you need to cry, cry. I won't think less of you."

"It's not that."

"Then what is it?"

Though his eyes were still watery he didn't feel the intense wave of emotion as he had a few moments ago with Lila and the doctor. "There's too much going on." He waved his hands around his head. "It's a jumble in my brain. I don't know what I'm thinking or feeling right now. I-I'm...I don't know."

"In shock," she suggested, "numb?"

"Numb sounds about right. We'll go with that until I think of a better word. What I really want to do is see Mr. Feeny, but since they won't let me then I just want to sit here."

"Just sit here and say nothing?"

"Yes."

Angela laced their fingers together- clutching his hand between both of hers'- and rested her head on his shoulder. "Okay."

/

"What's the plan," Topanga questioned the doctor.

"Excuse me?"

"The plan, protocol, how are you treating him?"

Cory patted her hand. "You'll have to excuse my wife. She's a lawyer."

The doctor nodded. "Ah."

"What does me being a lawyer have to do with anything? I'm concerned about Mr. Feeny and-"

He scanned his chart, having been given permission by his patient's wife to discuss the generalities of his condition with the room. "Our current plan is to continue to monitor him, track his brain activity, and watch for signs of another stroke. He will also begin physical therapy almost immediately. The sooner that starts the better."

"When can he go home?"

"That may be a while. You see, even after he is released from the hospital he will likely need extensive physical therapy and we have a number of fine rehabilitation homes for him to continue his recovery."

The realization that this wasn't going to be a quick fix for Mr. Feeny was seemed to hit the group at once, lulling them into a quiet shock. He wasn't going to get better overnight. It was going to be a long, potentially painful process and he might never be the same again.

"However," the doctor continued, "we won't consider releasing him until he's proven able to eat and drink on his own."

"He can't eat?"

"We don't know yet. Sometimes patients who need to relearn how to speak need to learn a new way to eat, drink, and swallow so as not to aspirate. Until we determine the extent of his muscle weakness he is receiving all of his nutrition through a feeding tube." Dr. Powell could see he had darkened the mood of the room considerably. "But I must stress this is not uncommon for stroke patients, as scary as it seems. It's fairly typical. And, all things considered, George is doing well and you have every reason to be optimistic."

"But you can't promise," Cory asked again.

The doctor smiled sadly. "I learned very early in my medical career to never guarantee, good or bad."

"What do you mean bad? What's a bad guarantee?"

"When I was in my first year I worked with a doctor who told a woman she had less than a year to live. Miraculously she went into remission."

"That doesn't sound bad to me."

"She sued. Turns out she quit her job, gave away all her stuff, spent her money, finished her bucket list…she was ready to die. When she didn't, she sued."

"What happened?"

"I'm not at liberty to discuss that." He turned to Lila. "We should get back to your husband now."

She nodded. "Right. I will keep you all updated as best I can."

Amy rushed over and hugged her tight. "Don't worry about us. Take care of him and yourself. Let us know if you need anything or anyone you want us to call."

Lila squeezed her hands in return. "I will. But it's the poor staff assigned to George you should pity. I thought he was bad with the sniffles." She shook her head and sighed. "However, I'd take him whining with sniffles and a cold over this any day. No question." She hugged Amy once more before disappearing behind the doors with the doctor.

Everyone sat down again, in a daze trying to absorb the information just given to them by the doctor. After an extended silence, Alan spoke up. "If you kids want, you can go get some dinner. We'll let you know if there's any more news."

The answer was virtually a unanimous, "No."

"You and mom can go. We'll wait and call you if there is any more news."

"Yeah, I don't feel much like eating anyway," Topanga added. The rest of the group agreed.

"I guess we're all staying put then," he concluded.

Amy stood. "Actually, I am going to make a few calls. I have to get back to Morgan because she's sent me about thirty texts in the past five minutes. Then I'm going to check on Josh at Tyler's house and make sure he's doing his homework and then I will call George's niece. Lila just sent me a text with her phone number." She felt useful having something to do. It beat sitting around. "I'll be back."

Cory got up and moved around their little area of the waiting room, eventually walking laps around the chairs. "How is this happening? It's not supposed to be happening. Doesn't the universe know that Mr. Feeny is untouchable?"

"No one is untouchable, Cory. Not even Mr. Feeny."

"No offense, dad, but that's just wrong." He picked up his pace as he ranted. "There should be a law about who you're allowed to mess with and who you're not. And Mr. Feeny is at the very top of the _not_ list. He outranks the pope, the queen, and whoever else most people would put on the list. Mr. Feeny is number one."

Topanga covered her eyes. "Cory, sit down. You're making me dizzy."

He sat momentarily before jumping up again. "I can't just sit here and do nothing."

"Mom and I said you could go eat and we would-"

"I don't want to leave the hospital."

"Then I'm afraid your options are limited. They're not going to let you go back there and run the MRI machines."

"We could donate blood," Topanga suggested. "It may not go to Mr. Feeny, but it would help somebody, especially with your rare blood type."

"You know even the thought of needles and-and blood makes me…" Cory sat down beside his wife and put his head between his knees. "…give me warning before you say that."

"Sorry, I forgot who I was talking to."

"I'll do it, but I need to mentally prepare. Maybe tomorrow." He took a few more deep breaths before sitting up straight again. "Hey, Angela?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you have any new pictures of the munchkin for us to ooh and aah at to break the tension over here?"

She and Eric were still hand in hand as they rejoined everyone else in the middle of the room. "We were just about to take another look at the pictures Gina sent me earlier for the same reason. They're adorable, but then we're biased." She dug her phone out of her pocket when it chimed again. "Man, I guess I'll have no choice but to cave and get Georgia a dog for her fifth birthday like you've been promising her since before she was even born," she said to Eric.

"What do you mean? And who are you kidding? You know you want a dog, too." He melted when he saw the picture. "Aw. And Moose just let her fall asleep on him like that?"

"Apparently. By the way, when we do get a dog, it's not going to be _that_ big."

"What do you have against Mastiffs?"

"For one thing, his drool puts Georgia's to shame and-"

"Hey, if you're going to bicker could you at least pass the phone around and give the rest of us something to look at?" Cory accepted the phone. "Is it safe for her to be sleeping on the dog?"

Angela resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "She was moved right after the picture was taken."

"Oh, okay." He scrolled through the pictures, unable to keep the grin off his face. "I definitely need to see my little munchkin before we go back to New York. You said she's waving now, right?"

"She waves, blows kisses, and discovered her feet- so that's something else to go into her mouth. She's also babbling like crazy. It almost sounds like talking. I don't want to get too excited, but I think we're close to our first word."

"I'm assuming you're pulling for mama?"

"Eric got her first smile and was the first person she crawled to. My dad got her first laugh. I'd like to think I'm worthy of a first. It's only fair."

"One thing you will learn about parenthood," Alan began, "like life, it is very rarely fair."

/

/

"Topanga said to take elevator to the fourth floor," Naomi rattled off to Shawn as they hurried across the parking lot. "We'll have to be buzzed into the ICU, but that's the same at any hospital."

"Uh-huh."

"She's been texting me updates and it really sounds like they have a handle on the situation." After pausing to push through the revolving door, she continued the conversation. "And it sounds like Mr. Feeny is in good hands. Do you want to stop and the gift shop first? I know you like the candy bars that-" She looked behind her but Shawn was nowhere to be found. After another trip through the revolving door Naomi found her fiancé sitting on a bench outside. "What are you doing?"

"I can't go in there."

"But, Shawn-"

"I'm sorry, I thought I could, but I can't." His gaze remained fixed on the pavement. "You go. I'll wait right here."

She sat beside him on the bench. "You're not a jinx. Bad things won't happen to Mr. Feeny just because you set foot in the hospital."

He met her eyes with a sad smile. "Bad things are already happening. Why risk making them worse?"

"I'm not going to argue with you on this. If you really don't want to go inside I won't force you."

"But?"

"One: you know Cory will do everything short of knocking you unconscious and putting you into a bed of your own to get you inside." She was relieved to get a genuine laugh out of him. "And two: you went with Jack to visit Calum after he was born and still in the hospital and he came home a day or two later. You weren't a jinx there."

"I never claimed this was a logical issue. And I'll try to come inside in a little while, okay?"

She nodded. "You want me to sit with you until you're ready?"

"What I really need is for you to find out what the hell is going on with Mr. Feeny and then come back and break down all the medical language into something even an idiot like me can understand."

"You're not an idiot." Naomi kissed him before standing. "I'll be back soon. I love you."

"I love you, too, Nomi." Shawn took a deep breath and lean back against the bench. He stared up at the sky. The clouds were masking what would've been and otherwise beautiful sunset, he could tell from the streaks of orange and purple peeking out from behind the wall of gray. Though he supposed it fit the mood of the evening. It would feel wrong to bear witness to a glorious natural occurrence when God knows what was happening to Mr. Feeny.

 _God_. Now there was a landmine. Did he believe in God? A god? Gods? Shawn never could quite decide where he fell on the topic of religion. Part of him wanted to believe in this all-knowing, loving being watching out for and protecting us. He craved the certainty and security the devout seemed to have. But he could never rectify that with all the bad that existed. What kind of higher power would bring suffering to someone as wonderful as Mr. Feeny? Why him of all people?

"Good evening, Shawn!"

"Aah!" Shawn twisted around to look for the source of the voice and fell off the bench, landing on the cement. Within seconds a shadow towered over him, eclipsing his limited view of the sunset. "With the way my luck goes I'm going to guess that today is the day the supernatural has decided to prove their existence and come get me?" He grimaced and rubbed his elbow. "Though I gotta admit, I kind of thought you'd sound like James Earl Jones. I don't know why."

"Shawn, it's me, Frankie. Frankie Stecchino?" He knelt down and extended his hand to help Shawn up. "I went to high school with you and Cory Matthews. Perhaps you remember me by my unfortunate nickname, _The Enforcer_?"

"Relax, Frankie, I know you." He was surprised at the seemingly effortless tug on Frankie's behalf to get him to his feet. Shawn suspected, even in his trimmed down state, The Enforcer could still toss him over his shoulder and stuff him into a locker if he really wanted.

"Then why did you jump like you thought I was going to steal your lunch money again?"

"You surprised me. That's all. What are you doing here?"

"I heard the distressing news about our beloved Mr. Feeny and I'm here to lend my support. Isn't that why you're here?"

"Yeah…and who knows, maybe I'll make my way inside at some point." He sat down again. "You see, I don't do hospitals. I hate them, lots of bad memories."

"Would you like to walk in with me? Sometimes it's easier facing challenges with a friend by your side."

Shawn couldn't help but notice that as the clouds parted and more sunlight shone through, it gave the former bully a halo effect. While it suited the poetic nature in his heart, he still made for one weird angel. "Thanks, I appreciate it, but I think I'm going to stay out here for a while." He watched Frankie reach into a bag he hadn't noticed before and he pulled out a large chocolate chip cookie. It was easily the size of his face. "What's that for?"

"Every time I've been in a waiting room it always takes forever. I thought snacks would be appreciated."

"I'm sure they will."

"I'm going to go check on Mr. Feeny."

"If you see Cory could you tackle him and stop him from trying to talk me into coming inside?"

Frankie nodded. "I will do what I can."

"Thanks." Once he was alone again Shawn found himself focusing on the garbage can of all things. The crushed beer cans shoved down the sides were taunting him. It would be almost too easy to sneak over to the bar around the corner, have a drink or two to calm his nerves, and be back before anyone knew he was gone. It would be easy, but it wouldn't help. It wouldn't help his family and friends brave enough to be sitting inside the hospital, it wouldn't help his sorry ass sitting outside, and it definitely wouldn't help Mr. Feeny. He took his phone out of his pocket and didn't even think as he went through his contacts. It was almost automatic at this point. Before he knew it, the phone was ringing…until it wasn't. And he found himself offering an explanation before the person on the other end could even offer a greeting. "I'm sorry. I know it's probably dinnertime for your family or I'm screwing up time with your kids, but things are really messed up right now."

"Shawn? What's going on?"

"Mr. Feeny's in the hospital. They think it was a stroke or something. I'm not sure. We just got here and Nomi went inside to find out more."

"Where are you?"

"Me? Oh, I'm where I normally am when shit goes down and people need me. I'm sitting outside trying to hold it together."

"Shawn, don't-"

He laughed humorlessly. "And I am _not_ holding it together very well."

"Which hospital?"

"Why?"

"Because I'm driving down."

"You don't have to do that. It's four hours away and you have kids and a wife and I don't need a baby-sitter."

"Hey, I care a lot about George Feeny, too. He was a coworker and a friend. I want to be there for him, for you, and I'm guessing the Matthews are there as well."

"They always are."

"What hospital?"

"The same one you were in after your accident," he choked out after several tense seconds. That incident was one of the reasons he detested hospitals in the first place.

"Got it. See you in a few hours."

"Thanks, Jon."

/

/

"And just hit this button if you need anything." The nurse held up a remote to Lila. "Dr. Powell should be back within a half hour to go over the latest scan results. And you," she began, staring at George, "try to keep all of the tubes, needles, and monitors in place this time, okay? It's not fun for me to run back here fifty times, unless this is your way of invoking revenge on past students." She saw the surprise in his eyes. "I was in your sixth grade class in 1983. We were a particularly rambunctious group and you always joked about revenge when we were adults and didn't see it coming." She laughed softly and touched his arm. "Mission accomplished, Mr. Feeny. Try to get some rest now."

"Thank you, nurse…"

"Michelle. Well, back then it was Michelle R. There were five of us in the class. I was the good one." One of the machines started beeping and she rushed back towards the bed. "Okay, fine, _most_ of the time I was the good one. Now leave the oximeter in place."

"I don't think it will be an issue anymore," Lila said. "You can go take a needed coffee break."

"Just page if you need us."

Once they were alone Lila pushed a chair closer to the bed and sat down. It was the first time they've been alone since everything happened. When she woke up this morning this was not how she envisioned spending her day. Then again, she supposed no one saw this stuff coming. No one ever thought it would happen to them. "You know if you really wanted this much fuss to be made about you, you should've just let me throw you the birthday party when I wanted to. But no, you have to be dramatic about it," she teased with a smile.

"Fuss…want…I don't…"

"Shh, the doctor said not to talk right now. And it's too late to worry about the fuss. There is a whole crowd of people out there wanting to know how you are."

"Home."

"No talking. And yes, people love you and are worried and they are not going home until they know you are okay." George's hands were riddled with tubes and bruises from blood draws, so she rested her hand on his forearm. "Have the past ten years been that rough you're going to try and weasel a loophole to get out of our eleventh anniversary next month?"

She was joking, but the tremble in her voice, tears in her eyes, and unsteady hand gave her away. Seeing what this was doing to her was far worse for George than whatever he was going through at the moment. Though awkward and almost painful, he reached with his left hand- now his dominant hand- and took her hand that rested on his other arm. He held it over his heart. Though currently robbed of most verbal communication, he hoped Lila understood what he was trying to convey. When a smile graced her features he knew she had.

"I love you, too, George."


	12. Chapter 12

_It's been a while. I'm sorry. Combination of real life and a sucky work situation keeping me busy. However, to hopefully make up for the wait I am posting two chapters at once. I could've made it one super long chapter, but I thought a certain moment deserved its own space to shine so to speak. Chapters 12 and 13 follow immediately after chapter 11. There will be time jumps coming in following chapters._

 _Thank you so much for your comments and feedback and your endless patience. :-)_

* * *

"….and then he took a Nerf gun out of his desk and turned it on us," Cory said through laughter. "Classic." He stared at the cards in his hand. "Angela, do you have any fives?" She sighed and handed over a card. "Ha!"

"Yeah," Shawn reminisced, "every once in a while Mr. Feeny would do something to remind us he was human and not a robot in a sweater vest and glasses."

Topanga frowned, unable to place the incident. "I don't remember that. When did it happen?"

"I don't know…sixth grade? Seventh?"

"Then where was I?"

"Maybe you were sick?"

"Please, Cory, I don't get sick." She studied her cards. "Frankie, do you have any twos?"

"Go fish."

Afternoon evolved into night and there had been no further updates on Mr. Feeny. Word spread quickly about the educator and former students and colleagues had been dropping by all evening. Amy, Alan, and Mr. Turner fielded their questions, giving only the most basic, "he's stable," response. No other details were given save for a few exceptions. Frankie was told what was going on and Topanga explained the situation to Minkus when he called to check in, remorseful that he was unable to immediately get on a plane and visit. Otherwise they were going to let Lila handle what to tell and who to tell it to.

Mr. Feeny's niece and the few other family members he kept in touch with were contacted, but would not be able to make it out for a couple of days. So for now the group in the waiting room would keep vigil. Lila came out occasionally to check in, though she had no further updates. Each trip out she told them to go home. They stayed, however.

"It's your turn, Eric."

He jumped. "Huh?"

"Your turn," Frankie repeated. It was clear he had zoned out. "The cards?"

"Sorry." He studied his hand before showing it to the table. "Gin."

"Um, wow, that's actually a great gin hand, but we're playing Go Fish."

"Count me out of this one. I can't focus." Eric tossed his cards on the table before getting up and walking away. There were too many people around right now.

Angela placed her cards face down in the middle of the table. "I'm out, too. I'm going to make sure he's okay."

"Shawn, Naomi," Frankie began after an extended silence, "have I thanked you yet?"

"Thanked us for what?"

"For the invitation to your wedding, the Save the Date came in the mail a couple weeks ago and we put it right on our refrigerator. Frankie Jr. is excited to buy a new princess dress and my boys think they can use the dance floor as a wrestling mat like they did at my cousin Marvin's wedding, but I am already setting them straight on that."

"Um…thanks, Frankie, we appreciate it."

"You are quite welcome. I would hate to cause you grief on a day of great joy. I know my wedding day was one of the most special days of my life." He looked down at his cards. "Oh! I win. I have four threes. That gives me four matches."

Mr. Turner had been walking around the waiting area and caught the tail end of the conversation. He pulled Shawn aside. "Frankie Stecchino is coming to your wedding?"

"Yeah, him, his wife, and three kids."

"I didn't realize you guys were close."

"We're not. It's a long story, but Cory invited him by mistake. He's paying for them though and Frankie offered to give us a hand with the flowers." He shrugged. "It works out I guess."

"How did Cory accidentally invite five extra people to your wedding?"

"Jon, if I have to think about everything that led up to it I'm going to get pissed at him again. So just drop it."

"Consider it dropped." He leaned against the wall and stretched out his bad leg. "You'd think after all these years…."

"Does it hurt?"

"Not right now, just tight."

Shawn was instantly taken back to a room in this very hospital over a decade ago. Turner was in a bed, most of him covered in casts and bandages. The doctors weren't sure if he would pull through and-

"Hey, Shawn, you okay?"

He slowly slid down the wall until he was seated on the floor. "I really hate hospitals."

/

Eric wandered a few halls until he found himself standing in front of the vending machines. His parents tried to stress that no news was good news, but he wasn't buying it. He stared at his beverage options, but nothing appealed. He still fed some money into the machine and picked something at random.

"You hate cream soda," Angela said, coming up behind him.

"I know."

"So why did you buy it?"

Eric shrugged and turned around to face her. "It's something to do."

"Are you okay?"

"You can ask me that as many times as you want but the answer isn't changing, not until Feeny is in the clear."

"Sorry."

"That's okay. It's not your fault."

She slipped her hand into his and led the way back to everyone else. "Do you want something to eat?"

He shook his head. "That answer's not changing either."

"Do you at least want me to get you something that isn't cream soda?"

"If I say yes will you stop babying me?"

"Yes, for now anyway."

"Okay, knock yourself out."

"Thank you. And fussing over you is giving _me_ something to do. So deal with it," she ordered with a smile.

"I can't argue with that, can I?"

"No."

"If you happen to text Gina and see if she has any new pictures or videos or Georgia…."

"I'll see what I can do."

While waiting for Angela to come back with his drink, Eric picked up a brochure at random and skimmed through. It was about insurance, billing, and how to set up payment plans. It hit him that Feeny was going to have a lot of medical bills coming his way. Even with insurance, hospitals were expensive. He had the invoice for Georgia's birth to prove it! After the hospital Feeny was going to need rehab. That was more money. He and the Dean have been retired for a few years. Were they going to be able to handle this?

"I got ginger ale and cherry cola. If you want something else I'll need to make more change." She put her hand on his shoulder when he didn't respond. "You okay?"

"Yeah. No. I don't know. It's so much."

"I know, but the doctors are-" She looked up briefly when she heard Cory's voice go up a few decibels. He was standing by the elevators with Shawn, Naomi and Topanga. From what she could gather Shawn had had all he could take of the hospital for one day and Cory wasn't happy with him leaving. "The doctors are taking care of him and this is a very good hospital, the best in the city. Do you think I would've delivered Georgia just anywhere?"

"Yeah, but can he afford this? He's retired. Mr. Feeny is the smartest person I've ever met but even he can't see the future and didn't have a stroke fund set up. I think I want to take care of his medical bills, or at least help out. I make more than anyone else so I can afford to do it."

"Eric that's very admirable, but you don't know what kind of figures we'd be looking at. I love Mr. Feeny and of course we will help him in any way we can, but we have to think about Georgia and plan for her education and her future." Angela hated saying this. She felt like the bad cop squelching Eric's giving spirit. "She has to come first and you know Mr. Feeny would tell you the same."

He sighed and put his head in his hands. "I know. And he is the one always saying stuff about Georgia getting into Harvard. I just want to help him the way he's always helped me."

"And we will. We just have to be practical about it."

"Um, excuse me."

Angela and Eric jumped. Even when speaking softly Frankie's voice had a booming quality to it. "Yes, Frankie?"

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but your generous offer has given me an idea, Eric."

"What's that?"

"How about instead of putting the burden on one person to help Mr. Feeny, we all pitch in?"

"What do you mean?"

"We could have a fundraiser."

"A fundraiser?"

"I could offer a special through my flower shop where the proceeds for every rose sold go to help Mr. Feeny. I know I cannot see a rose without thinking of dear, Mr. Feeny."

"Wow…that's actually a really good idea. What would I do?"

"You are the most popular news personality in Philadelphia so you could help spread the word. He had so many students over the years who I'm sure would jump at the chance to give back."

"And I still have an in at the newspaper," Angela said. "They can publicize, too."

The bully turned florist clapped his hands together. "Excellent."

"Maybe I can even…." Eric looked to his girlfriend when her phone chimed. She frowned at the message this time. "What's up?"

"It's Gina. Georgia has been crying for a while and is virtually inconsolable. Gina said she's tried everything but as soon as it got dark it was like Georgia's personality changed. I should probably go get her and bring her home."

"Yeah, this is the longest she's been away from you in a while and she's in a strange house with people she doesn't know well."

She stood, but was hesitant to leave. Eric needed her, too. "Will you be okay without me?"

"As okay as I ever am."

"Eric?"

He squeezed her hand. "I'll feel better knowing Georgia's happy."

She nodded. "Tell Lila I said good-night."

"I'll walk you to the car."

/

A couple hours later, with some ideas from Cory and Topanga's organizational skills, they had a rough idea of how the fundraiser would work.

Eventually the waiting room crowd dwindled down to Eric, Cory, their parents, and Topanga. Frankie left to take care of early morning deliveries and Mr. Turner had to teach an eight AM class. They both promised to call tomorrow to check in.

"I just don't understand why we can't see him," Cory lamented, waking the dozing crowd. "It's just looking through a window. Why can't we do that?"

"Hospitals have rules, pal," Alan answered. "Intensive care especially, they don't let just anyone go strolling back there."

"No, but they let family go back there. And we're Mr. Feeny's family."

"The doctor said the most important thing was for him to rest. That's what he is doing now."

"But, mom-" Just then Lila came through the doors, not looking surprised to still see people hanging around. "Any news?"

"No, Cory, and there likely won't be any news for the rest of tonight. They just gave George a powerful sedative to help him sleep. He's going to be out until morning. So I am ordering all of you to go home."

"But-"

"No arguing. If his condition changes or I need anything I will call, but for right now I need you to go home and rest."

"But what about you," Topanga asked.

"There is an extra bed in George's room and a nurse already brought me an extra blanket. Apparently they feel for me, being married to the difficult patient," she teased.

Alan smiled. "Still giving them hell?"

"They've given up counting how many times he's pulled out various tubes. I've been calling him the menace of the ICU."

"Good for him."

"Yes, so as you can see if he is doing well enough to drive doctors and nurses crazy you can go home and rest comfortably."

"Are you sure?"

"Quite. He's sleeping, I'm going to try to sleep, and if I know you are out here I won't be able to. So go- before I have to call hospital security on you."

They hugged Lila goodnight with promises to return in the morning. While they were cleaning up the food and beverages that littered the area Eric pulled Cory to the side. "Get Topanga to go home with mom and dad and say you're going to drop me off at the station to pick up my car."

"Isn't that the plan? But why do I need to ditch Topanga?"

"Just do it."

"I'm going to need a reason."

"You still want to see Feeny, right," he whispered.

"Definitely. I won't sleep until I do."

"Okay, I think I can get us back there but your wife is too much of a goodie-goodie rule follower to go along with us."

He looked at his wife across the room. "You really think you can get us to Mr. Feeny?"

"Yes."

"Okay. I'll lose the goodie-goodie."

/

"Eric, are you sure about this," Cory asked, grabbing onto his brother's arm. They had snuck into the ICU when another family was leaving. Now they were trying to find Mr. Feeny's room, but that was easier said than done.

"You're not wimping out on me, are you?"

"What if we get caught?"

"We won't if you look like you belong."

"But there are nurses and security guards and…" He rounded the corner and came face to face…well, face to chest, with a rather large man. "…and big orderlies who could make us patients."

"Do you two have permission to be back here?"

"Well, uh…"

"Yes," Eric said confidently. "Yes, we do."

"Where are your visitor's badges?"

"Right here on our shirts."

"Those are the badges for the waiting area and regular floors of the hospital. You need a yellow badge to be back here."

"Even me?"

"Who are you?"

Eric laughed. "Come on. It's me. Eric Matthews, I do the weather on WIXB. I've been voted most popular for a lot of years in a row."

"I don't watch channel five."

"You don't know me? But everyone knows me!"

"I'm calling security."

"No," Cory exclaimed. "Wait. Look, I'm sorry, we're just really worried about our…our…" He couldn't say teacher. They wouldn't let them in for teacher.

"It's family only. Who are you here to see?"

"Our grandpa-"

"-uncle."

The orderly narrowed his eyes and stared them down. "What?"

"That's right," Eric took over. "Our parents are brother-sister-cousins and we're here to see our cousin, Grandpa Uncle George."

He shook his head. "Man, no wonder you two are messed up."

"Cory, Eric, what is going on," Lila asked, appearing in the doorway. She heard the commotion in the hall and came to investigate.

"Grandma Aunt Lila!" They rushed her and gave her a hug. "Save us from the scary man," Eric whispered.

"Are they with you, lady?"

"Do you think I let random strangers hug me? Clearly they are my…nephew grandsons."

"Well, technically grandson nephews, but who's keeping track?"

"You guys cause any more trouble I'll throw you out."

"Don't worry about that. They will be leaving in two minutes."

The orderly nodded. "I'll be back to check. Let me know if they won't leave and you need back up."

"Oh, I will." Once the orderly was gone she turned around to face them. "Now, care to tell me what all this fuss is about? I believe I ordered you to go home."

"We just want to see him," Cory pleaded. "Just for a minute."

She sighed. "He looks a little different than you're used to."

"That's okay."

"All right," she relented. "Two minutes."

/

/

"How are you not sleeping yet, little girl? You spent all day playing with other kids. You should be exhausted." Angela watched, moderately impressed, as the baby stacked the soft blocks. "Mama sat on her butt all day and she's ready to pass out. But look at you, branching out into construction…" She swung a tiny arm out and sent the blocks toppling to the ground, "…and now demolition. You're quite the multi-faceted young woman, Georgia Matthews."

"Or maybe she knew daddy would need some cheering up so she stayed awake to see him."

Angela turned around and saw Eric standing in the doorway. He looked exhausted. "Hey, I didn't hear you come in."

"Sorry. Cory drove me to the station to pick up my car and then he and Topanga were sleeping at mom and dad's tonight."

"I figured you'd be sleeping at the hospital."

"That was my plan, but Lila ordered the rest of us to go home- wouldn't take no for an answer. She promised to call if anything changed."

It was weird to hear him refer to Lila as, well... _Lila_. For as long as Angela's been back in Philadelphia he's affectionately called her 'Dean Feeny.' "Max and Gina said they'd be on standby if we needed them to watch Georgia again. Janine called me, too, and said if we needed her baby-sitting services this weekend she would be happy to do it."

"That's good to know. I work with some fantastic people." He sighed and took a seat on the floor beside her. Despite his exhaustion he couldn't help but smile at how, in the midst of the chaos, their daughter was oblivious to it all and happily playing. It was how it should be and exactly what he needed to see after a day like today. Georgia was still untouched by the negatives of life. He'd give anything to keep her this innocent forever. "So, what's with our little night owl?"

"She's been wired since I picked her up. It's not even that she's fighting sleep- just wide awake. I tried to go through our normal routine, but she wanted to treat me like a jungle gym. I finally gave up when she got too fussy. I brought her in here to wear her out." Angela laughed quietly. "I don't think it's working though. She seems more awake than ever."

Eric kissed her temple, but kept his eyes glued to their daughter. "Do you think she understands what's going on right now? Does Georgia know Mr. Feeny is in the hospital and that's why we weren't with her tonight? Is she...can she feel anything about that yet?"

"I'm sure she's picking up on our moods and tonight was the first time we left her alone with people who weren't family. She knows something's different."

"Maybe that's why she's still awake," he wondered aloud, "to have things back to normal with us before she goes to sleep."

"That's certainly one theory." Angela tucked her head under his chin and wrapped her arms around him. "And it's a nice way to end a pretty lousy day."

"It is."

They sat together quietly for a few minutes just watching their daughter play. "Not to bring the mood back down, but how was Mr. Feeny?"

"No change since you left: serious, but stable condition. They gave him drugs to help him sleep. Everything else is the same."

"Is Lila okay?"

"She seems to be doing better than anyone else which is weird to me." Eric tightened his hold on her. "Tell me this is a nightmare."

"I wish I could."

"Me and Cory snuck into the ICU."

"You did?"

He nodded. "We couldn't leave without seeing him for ourselves."

"And?"

"It didn't seem real. I was just at his house picking up the desk and the-the...I mean...I was just with him in his house and stuff a few weeks ago. It's Feeny. He's invincible. To me he's always been this ageless being. Tonight in that hospital bed he looked very small…and so old. When did he get to be an old man?" He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to rid the image from his mind. It wasn't how he wanted to think of Mr. Feeny.

"Hey, you okay," Angela asked, looking up at him. Sooner or later the events of the day were going to hit and she wanted to be there when it happened. "Because it's fine if you're not. There's no one here you have to be strong for."

"I know I always joke around about him being a million years old, but that's all they're supposed to be- jokes."

"I know. He does, too."

"Mr. Feeny is supposed to outlive all of us and teach Georgia's great-great grandchildren and tell them what life was like way back when." He shook his head and let out a humorless laugh. "Stupid, huh?"

"I think that's very sweet and if anyone deserves to live forever, it's Mr. Feeny. Maybe it's an unrealistic thought, but no, not stupid."

"Is it okay if we're not realistic right now?"

"You want to be in denial?"

"Just for tonight, yes…and tomorrow and the next day….and maybe the day after that, too."

There was no harm in indulging his delusions, at least temporarily. Reality would no doubt rear its ugly head soon enough. "Okay." She kissed his cheek. "Make room in the tent for me because I'll camp out in denial with you."

"Thanks. And thanks for being so-" He stopped talking when two of Georgia's blocks hit him, one right after the other: one in the chest and the other striking his knee. He looked at the baby and found her staring back at him, her head tilted to the side as if she was wondering how that happened. Eric knew she was at the age where she started learning cause and effect, but she had never purposely thrown an object towards another person. He was impressed by her distance. Maybe there was a future little league pitcher in her. "Uh-oh, Georgia," he exclaimed, shrugging in an exaggerated fashion, "what happened?"

She attempted to mimic him and lifted her arms above her head. "Oh-ah bo-po mada booey!"

Eric was entertained as he listened to Georgia seemingly try and explain in her own language, repeating the same sounds over and over. She stated her case with such conviction, too. "Really? The blocks flew out of your hands all by themselves? Those sneaky blocks!" He held out his hands. "You want to hug it out? Come on," he prompted, "come to daddy." And, like the old pro she now was, Georgia moved easily from a sitting position to crawling. She appeared to be heading right for her father, but at the last moment she veered off and crawled into Angela's lap instead. "Hey!"

"What are you doing, silly?" She ran a hand along the baby's back. "You were going to daddy."

"She knows what she's doing."

"What makes you say that?"

"Just look at her. She knows." The baby kept peeking at him from behind Angela's arm, a coy grin on her face. "You're being a little smart ass, huh?"

"Eric!"

"It is how she's acting right now."

"I don't think that's within her scope of abilities just yet. I think that behavior comes with the toddler years."

"Then you are severely underestimating your daughter. She's advanced…like light-months ahead."

"Light-months?"

"You know, instead of lightyears? Since she'll be one in a few months…light- _months_?"

"Oh." She reminded herself that he'd had a long day. They all had. "Fine, but do you want to own it when her first word is ass?"

"Smart butt just doesn't have the same ring to it."

"Just admit that you've lost the ability to criticize my language since you are just as bad."

"Okay, I cave. If she makes it through kindergarten without us having to be called down to school for obscene words we can consider ourselves successful parents."

"Deal." He melted when Georgia migrated over, laid her head on his leg, and smiled up at him. "What are you doing, goofball?" She blew a raspberry in response. "Very mature behavior, thanks. But you are giving me more proof to show mama that you're acting like a…" He paused momentarily. "…smart butt."

"And where do you think she gets it," Angela deadpanned.

Eric picked Georgia up and held her close. "Mama thinks she's a comedian," he remarked, resting his cheek against the baby's. "What do we say to that, huh, Georgia?" The infant let loose another well timed raspberry. "Ha! And we didn't even rehearse."

"I rest my case." She stood and moved to leave the room.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to make you something to eat. And don't say you're not hungry because your stomach has been making noise since you got home. I know you didn't eat in the waiting room."

"I was too nervous to eat," he called after her. Once they were alone Eric looked at his daughter. She was studying him and had one of her expressions where he knew she was thinking and her wheels were turning- like she was trying to figure something out. He wished he knew what went on in her brain sometimes, to see things through her eyes. He stood Georgia up so they were face to face. She liked being face to face and immediately latched onto his cheeks with her tiny hands. "Mama will hate me for saying this, but I'm glad you were awake when I got home." She babbled back to him, mimicking his tone. "Yeah, I am. Daddy needed a reason to smile tonight. And you, little girl, always give me a reason. You were the only reason a lot of people smiled tonight.

"Mama kept showing your picture off in the waiting room. I'm sure you're wondering why were we in the waiting room." Rationally he knew she was a baby and wouldn't understand what he was about to say, but it still felt like a heavy, adult conversation. "Part of me doesn't want you to know this because I want you to think the world all good and only full of good people where only good happens, but what kind of daddy would I be if I sent you out blind like that?" She pressed her mouth against his chin and let out a high pitched squeal that made him wince. "You're right. I wouldn't be a very good one. The truth is that sometimes life sucks. Things don't always go your way and bad things happen to good people. It's my job to prepare you for that stuff." He took a deep breath. "Today something bad happened to Mr. Feeny.

"You see, he had a stroke. According to doctors much smarter than daddy that means…" How did he explain this? "You know your Big Bird toy that sings and dances? Remember how he slowed down and talked and moved weird when he needed new batteries? That's kind of what happened to Mr. Feeny. His brain battery messed up and now he's having trouble talking and moving like we're used to." Georgia was watching him, her expression serious as if she understood everything he was saying. She already had Angela's penetrating stare down cold, which was unnerving. Did they practice when he was at work? "But don't worry, the doctors and nurses are taking very good care of him so he can get better and come home." He kissed the top of her head. "I bet we'll be standing in his backyard yelling for him to open up and let us in real soon. In fact…yes, that would be such a cool get better present for him. What else could top daddy doing the Feeny Call but daddy _and_ Georgia? Can you say Feeny? Feeny. _Fee_ -ny. Fee- _ny_. _Feeny_. Come on. Say Feeny." He listened in anticipation. If there was ever a time for her to chime in with a perfectly placed jabber it was now. Eric got his wish, but unfortunately it sounded nothing like Feeny. "Did you just say potato?"

Georgia pressed her face into his shoulder and squirmed in his lap. "Are you getting sleepy? I know mama is the lullaby person, but is it okay if I sing tonight? Daddy doesn't have a happily ever after story in him right now." He held her close and swayed side to side. "I hope you like Madonna."

When Angela returned to the nursery Eric was lying on the floor and Georgia was asleep on his chest. His eyes were closed but she knew he was awake because he was singing softly and rubbing slow circles on their daughter's back. She set his plate on the dresser before crouching down beside her family. "I made you grilled cheese and tater tots." He nodded but continued to sing. "Interesting song choice."

His eyes remained closed, but he smiled. "It was the only song I could think of. I heard it on the radio on the way home. They played two songs per artist for some reason. It was either this or _Like a Virgin_. No way in hell was I going to sing that to my daughter. There's not enough therapy in the world."

She covered her mouth to stifle her laughter. "I agree. _Material Girl_ by a landslide."

/

/

"Cory, what are you doing?" Topanga had rolled over and reached for her husband but had only found sheets. She sat up and saw him sitting in the window, staring out into the backyard.

"It's weird not having Mr. Feeny out there."

She wrapped a blanket around her body to fight off the spring chill and shuffled over to him. "It's three-thirty in the morning. Mr. Feeny wouldn't be outside even if he wasn't in the hospital."

"You know what I mean. He's always been there. I liked knowing he was there….working in the garden. It was comforting to know that at any given moment he could dole out his wisdom and advice."

She could point out that his statement was full of revisionist history and that he didn't always appreciate their former teacher's advice and frequent unsolicited appearances over the fence when they were kids, but what would be the point? "I know, me, too."

"If he's not in his garden he's supposed to be in his house- waiting to garden. What else does the man have to do at his age?"

"He and Lila just got back from visiting friends in Rhode Island. They travel more frequently than we do."

"Well, now you're just making us sound more pathetic compared to the senior citizens, thanks for that, honey."

"Tell me what the right thing to say is and I'll say it."

He shrugged. "The only thing I know is that Mr. Feeny isn't supposed to be laying in that hospital bed. Aren't you supposed to build up immunity to this stuff by being a good person?"

"Unfortunately life doesn't work that way. If it did bad people would simply drop dead instead of continuing to wreak havoc."

"That would be cool."

"Cory!"

"Think of how much easier things would be if creeps eliminated themselves from the planet."

"It would be harder for me and my fellow lawyers to make a living and put those bad guys behind bars for one thing."

"Okay, in the interest of your career, we can keep a few of the lower tier criminals around: like pickpockets and litter bugs. You need make money, too. Take some financial pressure off me."

She chuckled and sat beside him. "Thank you."

"Although you have to admit that some lawyers are just as sleazy as the criminals they defend or try to put away."

"Excuse me?"

"Not you, other lawyers."

"And you have to admit that this is a pathetic attempt at distraction. Not from you, I'm talking about the other curly-haired guy sitting here with me."

He smiled sadly before kissing her hand. "Is it wrong to want a distraction right now?"

"No, I'd say it's pretty normal."

"Eric and I snuck back there."

"Back where?"

"To the ICU…after you left, we went back there."

"So that's why you insisted I ride with your parents," she concluded.

"You're too much of a goody-two shoes to sneak into a restricted area of the hospital. And we didn't want to hear whatever lecture you would've had for us."

"Did you make it? Did you see him?"

"An orderly caught us, but luckily Lila came out. She told the guy we were family and they let us in for a minute."

"And," she prodded. "How was he? How did he look?"

"He was sleeping, but they have him hooked up to these tubes and machines that kept beeping." Cory leaned his head against her shoulder. "I didn't realize it until tonight, but I don't think Mr. Feeny has aged to me since we were in sixth grade. Whenever I thought of him that was the guy I pictured, even if that wasn't the guy standing in front of me. Does that make sense?"

"Sure. The mind can play amazing tricks on us."

"I'm scared I'll never get the image of him in that hospital bed out of my head, that that's going to be the visual I'm stuck with forever now."

"That won't happen."

"How do you know?"

"Let's just go to sleep, okay," she suggested after being unable to come up with a satisfactory answer to his question. "Maybe you'll dream about the sixth grade and your mental picture of Mr. Feeny will go back to how it always was."

He let her lead him back to bed. "Sure," he grumbled, "just what I need: risk reliving the time I totally bombed the geography bee and missed being the batboy for the World Series. There's no way the smarty-pants that won appreciated it the way I would have!"

 _Not this story again._ "You could get lucky and dream about our first kiss. That also happened in sixth grade."

"Topanga, we've kissed millions of times since then. This was a chance to be batboy in the opening game of the World Series. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Ow!" He held his arm where she pinched him. "What did you do that for?"

"Our kisses could happen about as often as you attending a World Series game if you don't choose your words more carefully."

"I'm sorry. It's been a rough day. Can't I get a pass for verbal stupidity based on that alone?"

"Okay," she relented with a sigh, "you're forgiven. Let's try to get some sleep."

He followed her back to bed. "No good night kiss?"

"Are you kidding me?"

/

/

"Amy, what are you doing out here?"

She briefly glanced at her husband before turning her attention back to the flowers. "Before everything happened George mentioned he needed to catch up on the yard after being away on his trip. I thought I'd give him a hand."

"In the middle of the night? Don't you think that's a little insane?"

"No, insane would be breaking out the lawn mower."

"There are noise ordinances in this neighborhood."

"And that's the only thing stopping me."

"Why don't you at least wait until the sun is up? Then you'll be able to see what you're doing." Alan crossed over into George's yard and helped Amy to her feet. "We have a few hours before we have to get Josh up and off to school and then I have to put in at least the morning at the store to make up for not going in at all yesterday. Just come back to bed before the day starts."

"I'm not going to be able to fall asleep. I'd rather be useful."

"I get that. No one hates sitting around doing nothing more than me." He sighed and leaned against the fence. "It has been a long twenty-four hours."

"Not even, more like sixteen or seventeen hours."

"Do you have to nitpick now?"

"I don't think a difference of seven or eight hours is nitpicking. That's an entire night's sleep."

"Amy…."

"I'm sorry." She moved to rest beside her husband against the fence. "Maybe after I take Josh to school I will swing by the hospital and see if Lila needs anything. I can bring her a change of clothes, some books so she doesn't get bored, and whatever else she needs from the house."

"That's a good idea. In all the craziness I'm sure she didn't bring more than her purse."

"I'm amazed by how calm she is. If I were in her position…." Amy shook her head. "I don't want to think about that, but I know I would be a wreck."

"You'd be fine. You've always been the stronger one when it comes to this stuff. I, on the other hand, was a basket case when I was in Lila's shoes." It had been a few years now, but Alan still hated thinking about that day. He nearly lost his wife because some idiot was too focused on his phone and ran a red light. "George was the steady one- he and Lila both held everything together."

"Now we get the chance to pay them back and be there for them."

"I'd rather do it with a gift basket or a card. They didn't need to literally replicate the situation for us to repay them."

"I know." She sighed.

"What?"

"George is such a fixture of the backyard, has been since the day we moved in. It was so strange last night to look out the kitchen window and not see him back here." He nodded. "I still remember the first time I met him. You were away for the weekend in the Reserves and Eric had snuck over when I was feeding Cory. George caught him spraying his rose bush with grape juice from a water pistol. Then Cory dropped a big spoon of oatmeal on his shoe when he came to return Eric. I promised to keep the boys out of his hair- I'd say we failed spectacularly in that."

"I think the first time I talked to him beyond a simple hello was one night after we got into a huge fight we took out here so we wouldn't wake Eric and Cory. You went back into the house and George came to see if everything was okay. When I said it was _then_ he lectured me about being out here and yelling at eleven o'clock at night. Even though we woke him up he still sat out here and talked to me until well after midnight. And it was a school night, too."

"We're so lucky he didn't judge us based on first impressions. Instead he's become part of our family, he and Lila both."

"Yeah…you know maybe we should wait and not fix up his yard just yet."

"Why? I just want to make things easier on him when he comes home."

"If he finds everything done that he's always taken care of he might think that we believe he's not capable of it anymore, that he's too weak."

"But he's going to have an uphill battle already with the physical therapies and his age-"

"It's how I would feel if I came home and everything was taken care of for me. Maybe it's a guy thing, but I know I'd feel useless." Alan saw that she still wasn't convinced. "At least wait longer than a day before you dive in and start taking over."

"Fair enough. I'll talk to Lila first and see if she has anything she wants done." She sighed and rested her head against his shoulder. "I suppose we should try to get those few hours of sleep."

"That would be smart."

"I'm still not tired."

"Me either."

"I could get an early start on a nice, big breakfast. Since Cory and Topanga slept over I know there will be people to eat and appreciate it. I can even call Eric and Angela later on so Georgia can try grandma's blueberry pancakes. For such a little thing she sure loves food."

"Josh and I appreciate the food you make. Maybe we don't say it, but we do."

"I know, honey, I'm just looking to keep my mind occupied. When you really think about it, we're not that far behind George and Lila- age wise anyway."

"There's nearly thirty years between us."

"The universe is billions of years old. Thirty is nothing."

"Maybe not for trees, but for people, yeah there's a difference." He wrapped his arm around her and they ventured back over to their yard and to the house. "I'm healthy, you're healthy, our kids are healthy, and our granddaughter is healthy and growing like a weed. Let's just be grateful for that, okay? Don't wonder what if. Be thankful for what is."

"You're right."

"Of course I am. Now, back to this big breakfast you teased me with a minute ago…"

/

/


	13. Chapter 13

**I am posting chapters 12 and 13 at the same time, so if you haven't already, you can go back and read chapter 12 so you're not missing anything. :-)**

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"Eric?" Angela shook his arm and again called out to him. "Eric, wake up." When he finally woke and looked at her she could see he had been crying in his sleep and the only word to describe the look in his eyes was despair. "Are you okay?"

"You're real," he stated in a hushed whisper.

"What are you talking about?"

He brushed his fingertips across her face, down her neck, along her arms and sides...wherever he could reach. "You're here."

"Of course I'm here. Where else would I be?"

"Where's Georgia?"

She covered his hands with her own, halting his frantic search through the sheets. "She's in her crib, remember? You sang her to sleep and put her there so we wouldn't risk waking her by having her with us." He didn't seem to be listening and instead vacated their bed. He tripped over the sheets on his way to the crib. Angela remained seated, still trying to wake up fully and figure out what was going on. She watched as Eric briefly covered his face with his hands before leaning over the baby's bed. "Be careful, don't wake-" But it was too late. He had their daughter in his arms and was headed for the glider. Angela heard her whimpers from across the room.

"Shh, it's okay, Georgia," Eric soothed. "It's okay. Daddy's got you." She nestled into his chest and he kissed her head. "Yeah, daddy's got you."

"Are you all right?" Angela received no response and switched on the night light before taking a seat on the ottoman. Georgia seemed to be back to sleep already, which was a relief. "Hey, talk to me." He remained focused on the baby. "Eric-"

"I don't want to leave her all alone."

"She's not alone. We're here."

"But what happens if we're not? What if we can't be?" His voice cracked as he asked the question. "What will she do? Who will take care of her?"

"What did you dream about?" He shook his head and tried to avoid her gaze. She didn't know if he was embarrassed to be crying or if it was something else. Angela took his face in her hands and made him look at her. "Eric, please? I want to help you the same way you've always helped me." Seeing him so upset made her want to cry, but she took a deep breath and focused her energy on helping him. "Georgia was alone?"

"I-I was with her….at first."

"Where was I?"

"Gone. You were just….just gone. You didn't leave us or walk away from our family," he quickly added in an effort to reassure her, "but you were still gone; the big, forever, kind of gone."

"And then what happened?"

"I was gone."

"How?"

"I don't remember."

She wasn't sure she believed that, but it was a minute detail. "And then she was alone?"

"She was crying for us- screaming really, but we weren't there for her. Nobody was." He rested his head against the back of the chair. "I can still hear the screams. It seemed so real."

It hurt her heart to imagine her baby crying with no one to help. "I know this was brought on because you're worried about Mr. Feeny, but-"

"It's not just Feeny! It's your dad's cancer, my mom's car accident a few years ago, the stuff I see every night working on the news- all of it. Life is so fragile. What if you inherited your dad's cancer genes? Or what if I have mom's…well, there's no car accident gene but what if I get whatever put Nana Boo Boo in a wheelchair? Or my dad's got to watch his cholesterol now even though he eats right and takes care of himself. He's got to be on medication for it. The doctor said that can run in families. What if I got it from him and then Georgia gets it from me and-"

"Stop it," she exclaimed, momentarily forgetting their daughter was right there. "Just stop it."

"Angela-"

"No, I'm not going to sit here and listen to you plot the rest of our lives around the off chance that something bad could happen. I won't raise Georgia like that either. Living in fear is no way to live. I refuse to let you do that to her…to us."

Eric got up and carefully deposited the baby back into her crib. When he returned to the chair he sat down again and pulled Angela into his lap. "I'm sorry," he whispered, holding her close. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. "I don't know how to make you feel better. I can't say we're not going to die. In fact that's one of the few guarantees about life: it ends. You just have to hope you leave the world a little better than how it was when you got here."

"That's it?"

"That's all I've got right now."

"I guess it would help if we had a plan in place. We don't have wills. Hell, we haven't even picked out guardians for Georgia yet. We keep putting it off because it's too depressing."

"Well, I-"

"We don't have to do it right this second, but soon. I want to do it soon."

"That would be the grown up way to handle things." She was already dreading the conversation.

"I don't know what we do until then. Encase each other in bubble wrap? Barricade ourselves in the house? Actually, that one doesn't sound too bad. I like it best when it's just us, so-"

Angela put a finger to his lips. "I suppose we will just have to do our best to live responsibly and do everything in our power to be around for Georgia and each other for as long as we can. And we will never let a day go by without saying I love you. Even on our worst days we'll try to remember that and focus on what's important."

He brushed away the wayward strands of hair that had escaped her scarf and kissed her gently. "I love you."

"I love you, too. I'm sorry I couldn't make you feel better."

"You're here. That's what matters."

"And I plan to be for a very long time. I'm not going anywhere." Angela settled into his embrace and held his arms more tightly around her. "Life is a crapshoot and we can only control like two percent of it. Despite those odds I'm betting on my life _with_ you because I can't imagine it without you."

"Damn," he whispered before he placed a kiss just below her ear. "You just had to go and say the perfect thing didn't you? There's no way I could ever top that." For several long moments Eric stared at her, admiring how beautiful she looked, even illuminated by the amber glow of the night light. This wasn't how he had envisioned it. There was supposed to be a fancy dinner, nice clothes, music, and a million other tiny details that- he suddenly realized- meant absolutely nothing. She had just vowed to stay by his side for the rest of her life without all that other stuff. What was he waiting for?

On instinct he reached for his pocket but remembered that he didn't have the ring on him. It was still hidden in a closet in the basement. He was at least going to have the ring. Eric figured he was bungling this in every other way, but by god he was going to have the ring when he asked. "I'll be right back."

"Where are you-" He was on his feet and out of the room before Angela could finish her question. She was tempted to follow but movement from the crib caught her attention and she went to investigate. She was relieved to find Georgia still sleeping. Still, since it was clear she wouldn't be going back to bed anytime soon, Angela decided to move to the balcony. This way she and Eric could continue whatever he wanted to discuss without waking the baby. She grabbed a blanket on her way outside and left the door ajar.

"What are you, some kind of mind reader?"

She jumped, not having heard him. "What?"

"I was just going to bring you out here."

"Really? Why?"

"This balcony is your favorite place in the world. You've called it your sanctuary many times. I at least wanted to get one thing right."

"Come here." Angela patted the space next to her on the chaise. When he lay beside her she draped the blanket across them both before curling into him, resting her head over his heart. "For the record, _this_ is my favorite place in the world- my sanctuary. I know I'm always safe here with you. So, yeah, the balcony's nice, but it's a distant second."

"Could you stop saying the right things for a minute," he pleaded with a chuckle. "I'm not going to be able to compete."

"What do you mean?"

"I shouldn't be surprised it's happening this way. I wanted it to be big and romantic; dinner, maybe music or dancing. I'd wear a suit- maybe my tux, and you'd be all dressed up, looking so amazing I'd forget my own name. Not that you don't look gorgeous now." He ran a finger down her neck and dipped below the collar of her shirt. "You know how hot it is when you wear my stuff."

"I like wearing your clothes. They smell like you and make me feel like you're right here with me. Today was a nightmare. I needed that security."

He kissed her before continuing. "I must've thought up a million different possibilities, but nothing seemed good enough. Nothing was special enough for you."

"I don't understand."

"Do you remember when you first moved back to town and we saw each other again?"

Angela smiled at the memory. She had barely checked into her hotel when Eric showed up and declared himself her welcoming committee. "I remember. We went from being barely friends to so much more in the blink of an eye. That seems like another lifetime ago. We've been through so much since then."

"When I knocked on your door I never imagined that we'd end up here. Hell, even when we first slept together this wasn't on my radar."

"Mine either. We were two lonely people craving a real connection with someone. We had both been hurt so badly we needed the right person to help us heal. What was it you said to me once? _'Whether it was fate, chance, or just plain luck we found each other when we needed someone the most.'_ "

"I said that? Wow, that's pretty smart."

"You have your moments," she said playfully, running her hand through his hair.

"Any regrets?"

"About us? Absolutely not."

"Me either. Even though things moved fast, it never felt like we rushed into anything. It felt right, like this is how we were meant to do this. We were supposed to take this crazy, backwards roller coaster ride. Changing anything would mean changing us. And I like…no, I _love_ us. I love you. I love the way you make me feel and the person I am when I'm with you. From the moment we decided we wanted to be together you've been with me and there for me every step of the way, a true partner." He clung tightly to her hand. "I just hope I've done the same for you."

It was beginning to dawn on her what was going on and her heart beat a little quicker. "You have. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, you and Georgia."

"I didn't forget about Georgia," he clarified. He kicked himself for not writing out what he wanted to say. Now he was rambling and making it up as he went. He should've written something down and rehearsed. "I wanted this to only be about us so you wouldn't have any doubts about why I'm…I love Georgia and I love watching you with her. To be honest sometimes I get a little jealous of how bonded she is to you because I want that with her, too, but I love seeing it. You are an amazing mom and she is the luckiest baby in the world to have you. On our crazy roller coaster ride she is the ultimate loop-the-loop and I can't imagine our lives without her. Even if I do wish she'd learn to love sleep a little bit more."

"Sleep would be nice."

"I feel lucky that I get to wake up with you and come home to you and sit here in the middle of the night and talk to you. I'm just so thankful for you. After Hollie part of me worried that that was it, my chance for a family, a home, someone to share my life with- I thought all that was over because I put my faith in the wrong person. And then you moved back to town and now…"

"And now here we are," she finished, smiling up at him.

"Yeah, here we are."

"Yeah."

Eric took a deep breath before continuing. "You're not stupid, so I'm sure you probably put two and three together by now and figured out why I'm rambling like some lovesick fool. And if you're not ready, that's okay. I'll wait. One step at a time, just like we said, I don't want to do anything to make you-"

Angela cut him off with a kiss. She hated the sudden apprehension in his voice and wanted to offer reassurance. When she broke away she made sure to look directly into his eyes. "You're not the only one who feels lucky. I was so alone for so long I feared I would always be that way. I worried I had committed some cosmic sin and was sentenced to a life of solitude. You changed that. You love me for me, flaws and all. You gave me someone to love-a family, things I never felt worthy of. I'm so grateful to you and for you and I'm ready for whatever lay ahead of us."

Despite her loving words Eric's hand was shaking slightly as he reached for the ring box in his pocket. Did he get down on one knee or stay cocooned in a blanket the woman he loved? While the image of the guy on one knee appealed to the traditionalist in him, nothing about their relationship has been traditional thus far. Why start now? "It's like you said," he started slowly as he brought the box into view, "life is a crapshoot and the odds aren't always that great, but I'm betting on us, too, because I can't imagine living any other way. Angela, will you marry me?"

Though she had been expecting the question it was still surreal to hear the words out loud. She used to fear those words. Now she wanted to dive right in, headfirst, and embrace them. It was how she and Eric did everything. "Yes," she whispered as she stared at him through teary eyes. "Yes, I will." She cradled his cheek in her hand and crushed her mouth against his. "I love you," she said when they finally broke apart several breathless moments later.

He wiped the tears from her eyes. "I love you, too." He moved to kiss her again when he remembered the object in his hand. "So did you want what's in this box or can I just…." He trailed off, a playful smile on his face.

She laughed. Of course she would forget about the ring. Her breath hitched when he opened the box and revealed its contents. The swirl of rubies and diamonds was unlike anything she had ever seen before. "Oh, Eric…."

"If you think trying to come up with the perfect proposal was tricky, you should've seen me trying to find the perfect ring."

"Really?"

"I spent months trying to find just the right one, but again, nothing was good enough."

"Months, huh?"

"Months."

"I hate that you drove yourself crazy for so long. I would've been happy with whatever you picked out."

He leaned down and kissed her gently. "You're worth the crazy." Eric took the ring out of the box and held it up. "May I?" Angela nodded and held her hand out to him. "Do you want to know the story behind this," he asked as he slid it on her finger. His sigh of relief was audible when he saw it was a perfect fit.

"There's a story?" Angela found herself unable to take her eyes off of her hand.

"Feeny's great-grandfather made it for his great-grandmother. It's been in his family for over one hundred years."

"Then how did you get it? Isn't this the kind of piece that should stay in his family?"

"He said he _was_ giving it to family." Eric briefly told her what Mr. Feeny said about the ring when he picked up the desk a few weeks ago. "He knew I was looking for the perfect ring and wanted me to give this to you. It was all his idea."

"I will have to thank him when I get to see him again." She kissed him again before resting her head on his chest. "I can't get over how beautiful this is. I've never seen anything quite like it."

"It is the second most beautiful thing out here."

"What's the first- you?"

"Okay, the ring is the third most beautiful thing out here."

"That's very cheesy, sweet, but cheesy."

"Hey, we just got engaged. The situation is made for sweet and cheesy."

"Engaged?"

"I believe that is the technical term for this. Why?"

Angela shook her head and once again stared at her ring. "Nothing, it's just if you would've told me a few years ago that I'd be here and I'd have all this, albeit in backwards order….let's just say sometimes I still worry I'm going to wake up and discover it's all been a dream and you'll disappear or turn into a frog. Hey!" She rubbed her arm. "What are you doing?"

"Now you know this is real."

"You're supposed to pinch yourself." She sat up. "Didn't you ever learn the rules?"

"You were pinched and I didn't disappear. That's the important part."

She ran her hands along his jaw. "True, you are still here.

Eric kissed her fingertips. "And I always plan to be." He lay beside her and held her close. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"What do you say we go inside, fire up the Jacuzzi, and-" Anything else he was going to say was lost to Georgia's cries. "Dammit," he muttered, pressing his forehead against hers'.

"I know. Rain check?"

He nodded and kissed Angela one last time before reluctantly letting her go so they could tend to their daughter. "I think I just figured out why most people propose first and have the baby later."


	14. Chapter 14

_I'm so, SO sorry for the wait. Work has been nuts and hasn't let up even though it was supposed to have done so by now. I'd much rather be writing. Maybe one day those lottery numbers will come in, lol. Or work will give me a break at least._

 _Your endless patience is appreciated. Truly. :-)_

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Angela removed her glasses and squeezed the bridge of her nose. She never imagined she would spend the hours after getting engaged choosing guardians for her daughter. Then again there was a point in her life when she didn't know if she'd be lucky enough to find someone to share her life with, let alone have a child she loved more than anything. "We both know where we're going to land, don't we?"

"Cory and Topanga," Eric concluded.

"I never would've imagined it when I was pregnant, but I think Cory loves Georgia almost as much as we do. He adores his _little munchkin_. He and Topanga are much stronger as a couple now than they were a year ago. If Jack and Rachel lived closer I would be conflicted, but I'd be comfortable with them raising Georgia if we were unable to, but if there's someone else you want-"

"It's him and Topanga. It feels right. We just won't tell them they're technically our second choice."

"No, that would be mean. Although Jack and Rachel have four kids now, two of them in diapers. Who knows if their sanity could handle a fifth? Cory and Topanga make sense across the board." She sighed and reached for his hand. "Feel better now that we've made a choice?"

"Actually I think I feel a little bit worse."

"Honestly? Me, too."

Eric laughed humorlessly. "Great, glad we had this talk."

"I don't think anyone enjoys discussing the possibility of not being around to watch their baby grow up."

"It's definitely a bummer."

"Now what?"

"We could go get checked out at the doctor. You know, get physicals and make sure we're healthy."

"That's smart. I'll call my doctor this afternoon. You can call yours'. We haven't quite reached the stage in our relationship where I need to make your appointments for you."

"Someday…"

"No, I'm sure when someday comes you'll still be just as capable of picking up a phone."

Eric put his hands on his chest and fell back against the couch in dramatic fashion. "Oh, the love…too much…my heart can't take it."

"Shut up." She laughed and balled up a piece of paper, throwing it his way. The sunlight caught her engagement ring, distracting her. "This is going to take some getting used to," she said, holding out her hand to admire the jewelry.

"In a good way, though, right?"

"The best way," she reassured him. "I've never seen anything quite like it. Finding a wedding ring to compliment it is going to be tricky. That's not a complaint, just an observation. I love this ring and wouldn't trade it for any other ring in the world."

"I wasn't sure whether or not to keep this a surprise, but there is a wedding ring. It doesn't exactly go with the engagement ring and Feeny said his great-grandmother wasn't able to wear them together. If you want something you can wear with this we can look for a different-"

"No," she interrupted, shaking her head. "I trust you. If it's anything like this I'm sure I will love it. This is perfect."

"Well, it is a Feeny Original. Not a George Feeny, but a…something… something Feeny. I didn't ask for his great-grandfather's name."

"I'm surprised you don't already know his name considering how much you love all things Feeny."

"I'm obsessed with one Feeny, not the whole family tree."

She gasped. "He finally admits it's an obsession. I never thought I'd see the day. Step one is admitting you have a problem. I'm so proud of you, babe. Now the healing can begin."

"You think you're pretty funny, huh?"

"On the contrary," she said, as she got out of her chair and moved to sit beside him on the couch. "I'm hilarious."

Eric wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "If you are then that's because of me. Living with me all this time has rubbed off on you."

"It's possible. I'd like to think we picked up each other's good habits and cancelled out the bad." Angela relaxed against him and closed her eyes. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I am so exhausted. I love you and I'm so happy about us and I still can't believe this is real, but then I think about Mr. Feeny and…"

"I know. Me, too. I feel like I could sleep for a week."

"Sign me up for that. Hell, make it two weeks. What did your mom say when you talked to her earlier?"

"The doctors were going to be running more tests. Lila wasn't sure if Feeny was going to be knocked out for those like the ones he had yesterday. But she said when he woke up this morning he was confused about being in the hospital. Then he got upset because he wanted breakfast but they won't let him eat solid foods yet because they're worried about something with his muscle control. And that's on top of being frustrated about not being able to speak clearly."

"Poor Mr. Feeny."

"Mom said to stay away and let the doctors do their jobs. Cory and Topanga are keeping her company in the waiting room before they have to drive back home tonight."

"Are you going to work?"

"Yeah, Tonya said she can cover the four and five o'clock shows, but I'm doing the evening and night broadcasts. I don't know how I'll be able to focus."

"It's where Mr. Feeny would rather have you anyway. He would want you to be at work and doing something productive, not sitting in a waiting room doing nothing."

"I know. Plus I have to run the fundraiser by the new PR person at the station. I don't think they'll have any issues with mentioning it on the air, but I can't just do it."

"Why?"

"Because it can snowball into everyone having a charity they want to raise money for and get airtime to promote. Worst case I can't mention it on TV but can use social media, which will work, too. I don't think they'll have a problem though. Mr. Feeny was a fixture at two of the biggest public schools in the city. A lot of people know him. Hell, I'm not the only one at the station who had him as a teacher or principal. I think it will work out."

"Good. So, did you tell your mom about us?" She studied her hand once again. "About our news?"

"No, I thought that was the kind of good news we should share in person."

"You're right."

"And I kind of forgot," he added in a small voice.

"What," she asked, laughing at him.

"There's been so much going on and we're running on fumes. It slipped my mind. You're not mad, are you?"

She hugged him tighter. "No, I'm not. It's so typical. _Of course_ we'd get engaged in the middle of the night when there are a million other things going on. We just fit it into whatever else is going on with our lives. It's just so us."

"That wasn't how I wanted to do it, you know? I wanted to come up with something really romantic and-"

"Eric, stop. I wouldn't change a thing. Don't get me wrong, I wish Georgia would've waited until her mama and daddy got to celebrate a little before she started screaming, but-"

"You really loved it?"

"I hate that it was triggered by a nightmare, but that nightmare also got us to talk about some serious issues we'd been putting off because they were too scary to think about. And now look at us: engaged _and_ Georgia has guardians. We multitasked."

When she put it that way it sounded like they just checked a few items off of a daily to-do list. It was nothing like the romantic proposal he'd wanted to give her, not at all. "Yeah, but-"

"The man I love asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. That's the important part. Everything else is just details."

"Okay, but I still wanted to put together some of those nice, pretty details for you because you deserve them. I promise you our wedding will be different."

Her breath caught. It was the first time either one of them had used that word. "Wedding?"

"You know the thing where we vow to be stuck together for the rest of our lives no matter how insane we make each other?"

She smiled at his choice of words. "I guess I never really pictured myself having one."

He remembered days long ago when Morgan would clomp around the house in mom's high heels with a towel draped over her head and flowers swiped from Mr. Feeny's garden clenched in her fists. Twist ties from loaves of bread often disappears as she fashioned them into little rings. "At the risk of sounding like a stereotype, don't most little girls grow up dreaming of their wedding day?"

"I didn't have an example of marriage that I wanted to follow. So maybe most little girls dressed up and played bride, but I was not one of them. To be honest I'd be happy to put on a pair of jeans, go to city hall, and elope this afternoon. Is that even possible," she pondered. "I wonder what laws are for applying for a marriage license in Pennsylvania. I know some states have a wait period."

Eric didn't want to get married that way, however, this was the bride's territory right? But surely he still got a say on his own wedding day. "If you really want to elope we can make it happen as soon as possible."

She sensed there was something he wasn't saying. "But?"

"Would you be upset if I said I wanted an actual wedding?"

"You do?"

"Nothing out of control crazy, but I want to celebrate. I always imagined our friends and family there when we said those vows. I want us to get all dressed up and looking hot. I want to take pictures, have the first dance, and the kickass cake that people talk about for months."

"Cake? Now I know where your priorities lie," she teased. "This is just an elaborate excuse for dessert, isn't it?"

He sat up so they were looking at each other. "Cake is just part of the package. I don't want getting married to be something else we fit into the rest of the chaos going on in our lives. I want it to be special. You deserve it. I want to celebrate us and our little family. If you really want to do the city hall thing I'll do it. I will and it will still be special because it's us, but…"

"But you won't be happy about it," she concluded.

"I'll be happy about marrying you whenever and wherever that happens. Don't ever doubt that. But no, I guess it wouldn't be the way I pictured it."

For someone who never had an image of their wedding in their head Angela could suddenly see what Eric described so clearly; an intimate ceremony with their closest family and friends. Her dad would escort her down the aisle. Despite their rocky relationship in recent years she still wanted that moment with him. Then she and Eric would exchange vows, take pictures, dance, and have- as he so eloquently put it- a kickass cake. She had to admit it was a nice vision. "Just promise me two things."

"Anything."

"Number one: we keep it small, just friends and family. We don't need to invite every person we've ever associated with."

"That's fine with me. What's the second thing?"

"I don't want a single candle within one hundred miles of the ceremony. I love you, but I don't think I need to elaborate."

"No, you don't. Cory still whines about the accidental fire in his dorm."

"It's not whining when you were the one who knocked over the candles and started the fire!"

"Sure. Take his side. But he was the moron who put lit candles right next to the curtains and-" His defense was halted when Georgia cried and alerted her parents that naptime was over. "Ha, saved by the Georgia."

"You or me?"

"I'll go, but you know which one of us she wants."

Angela tried, and failed, not to smile at his comment. "Stop."

"It's true. The whole time you were pregnant you went on and on about how I would be the favorite and when we found out she was a girl you bought out the east coast in _Daddy's Little Girl_ onesies and T-shirts. We should've been buying all the _Mommy_ stuff."

"Georgia adores you. You get the huge smiles and her biggest belly laughs."

"Maybe, but you are the center of her universe and the one she loves more than anything."

"Don't-"

"It's okay. Most days I don't take it personally. I just get a little jealous of you sometimes. I know it's stupid and petty."

"If it makes you feel any better from what I read it gets better when she gets older. Her preferences will flip flop between us." She was fairly certain when that day came she wouldn't handle it nearly as well as he did. "The good news is you'll be able to talk me down from the parental ledge when she decides to be all about daddy."

He winced when Georgia's cries became shrill. "She's reaching the Mariah Carey in her prime octaves only dogs can hear."

Angela held out her hand. "Let's both go. You change her, I'll feed her, and we'll see how our moody little drama queen is after that."

He took her hand and they walked to the stairs. "Since the weather doesn't suck maybe we can take her to the park for a little bit. What do you think?"

"Sure. I was also thinking we could invite Cory and Topanga over so we could ask them to be Georgia's guardians in person. Just get it over with today, you know?"

"Yeah, it would be nice to be done with-" Eric stopped talking when Angela let go of his hand and wedged past him on the steps. "Hey! We're supposed to let each other know ahead of time if we're going to race. It's cheating if you don't."

"That's a new cry."

It didn't sound new to him. To him it was no different from Georgia's typical, pissed off screeching that happened if you didn't appear instantly when she cried. He didn't get the chance to ask Angela what she meant because she was up the stairs and down the hall so fast she may as well have left tread marks and smoke trails in her wake.

" _Eric, come here!"_

He took the steps two at the time and ran the rest of the way to the bedroom. Was Georgia sick or hurt? He didn't think his heart could handle anything else happening to someone he loved, especially his baby girl. "What? What's wrong?"

"Look."

He followed to where Angela was pointing. He visually checked for any outward causes of distress- illness, injury- but saw nothing unusual. Georgia was standing there, crying. Tears were running down her cheeks and her arms were outstretched, her little hands opening and closing as she reached for her parents. What was so strange about….wait a second. "She's standing."

"I know."

"Since when can she do that," he exclaimed, relieved there was nothing wrong.

"Since today I guess. She's only eight months old. Isn't she too young for this?"

He simultaneously shrugged and shook his head. "She probably wants to practice so she can run away from her asshole parents who just stand here and watch her cry. And don't say anything about my language," he added before she could even give that lecture. "I'm too tired to pay attention to the words coming about of my mouth."

"What are you doing, little miss," she cooed, approaching the bed. "Are you standing? That's brand new, huh?" She lifted her daughter from the crib and held her close. Georgia curled into her and buried her face in her mother's neck- just like she always did when she needed comfort. "See? You're okay. Mama's got you." She rubbed slow circles along the baby's back as her cries dissipated. "Yeah, mama's got you."

Eric couldn't help but grin. It was difficult to believe there was a time when Angela questioned her ability to do this. He could handle the occasional feelings of jealousy if it reinforced what he always knew would be true; she was an excellent mother, so in tune with what their daughter needed it amazed him.

"What are you smiling at?"

"I'm allowed to smile at my family without being interrogated."

"Yeah, but that looked like more than a 'I love my family' smile."

"I'm in awe of you."

"Please," she scoffed and rolled her eyes. "That's not awe. That's delirium from lack of sleep and all the emotion from the last day or two."

"Nope, it's awe. You're so good with her. How did you even know it was a different cry?"

"She sounded scared, like she was panicking."

"You could tell that? To me it sounded like she was pissed we weren't getting to her fast enough. It just shows you deserve to be the one Georgia loves more because you know her better than anyone."

"She loves us both equal-"

"I'm complimenting you right now. Could you shut up and let me?"

She kissed Georgia's head. "Daddy has such a way with words, doesn't he?"

" _Oh-bo-po-booey."_

"Exactly. Oh-bo-po-booey. Mama couldn't have said it better herself. I wonder what that means to you because you say it a lot."

"The point is you're an amazing mom. Don't forget that. Right, Georgia? Tell mama she's awesome." He laughed when the baby looked at Angela and blew a raspberry right in her face. "Or do that, whichever. We'll just pretend it's a slobbery kiss."

Angela smiled at the baby before holding her out to Eric. "Take Erica Jr. and get her changed and then I'll feed her."

"Sure, now you come up with an alternative name to Georgia."

/

/

"So, what do you think?" Alvin had asked Joyce to meet so she could read what he had written so far in his memoirs for Georgia. He trusted that she was his best chance for an impartial judge. While Trish was more than happy to call him out on his bullshit as it was happening, she tended to gloss over the less than ideal moments after the fact. He wanted to be honest with his granddaughter about the kind of man her grandfather was...is...whatever he will be by the time she reads this.

"It's good," she began. "It has promise…definitely not bad."

"What's wrong with it? It's a factual retelling of my life."

"Yes, it is. It's nothing but facts."

"You'd rather I lie?"

"No, but you're writing as if it's for a school textbook instead of your granddaughter. It's very cold and clinical, detached almost. It's not personalized. I know you've never been a very demonstrative person in most regards, but if you want Georgia to see who you are then really show her. Let her see the protective young man who defended his little sister against kids who were giving her a hard time because of her braces. Or the creative teenager whose parents forbid him from going to concerts with his friends so he got a job as an usher to occupy his time. Or at least that's what he told his parents," she said, making him smile.

"They never asked me what kind of usher I was. They assumed movie theater."

"Yes, because they didn't think you'd lie about your age to get a job at a sketchy concert hall."

"I didn't technically lie. The manager assumed that because I was so tall…anyway, I saw some of the best musicians in the world at that 'sketchy music hall.' And my very first sip of alcohol was offered to me by a musical act that is still touring to this day."

"See, these are the kinds of stories you should be telling."

"Stories that could inspire Georgia to do her own lying or commit violence on behalf of her younger sibling?" Joyce's eyebrows went up. "Angela told me she and Eric don't want Georgia to be an only child. They don't know when that child is coming or how many more there will be, but if things go the way they want them to there will be more children in the picture."

She nodded, unable to come up with a response that seemed appropriate. She was the last person who should be giving their opinion, good or bad, on someone having another child. "I still think these are the stories that Georgia and any siblings of hers' need to know. They represent the man behind the military uniform."

"I wouldn't even know where to begin."

"I may have an idea, if you're willing to change course that is."

"What?"

"Talk to friends, family, co-workers, ask them to write down their favorite story about you."

"No, Joyce, I want this to be in my words to my granddaughter."

"It still can be. They can tell you their version and then you can recount your memories of the event to Georgia."

"I'm not sure."

"I think you should consider it. Besides, what better way to see what impact you've left on those around you then by what they pick as their favorite memory?"

"When you put it that way it sounds like I'm writing my own eulogy."

"Aren't you?"

Alvin looked away from his ex-wife and instead stared out the window. "No, I don't think…no. A eulogy is entirely tributes and adulations. I'm going to tell Georgia where I went wrong as well. She should know I'm not a perfect man. She deserves the entire truth."

"Are you sure about that?"

"What?"

"What do you remember about your grandparents?"

"Pop's dad died before I was born, but nana always took us shopping when Trish and I would visit. And mom's parents- gramps gave me a quarter whenever I saw him, Trish only got a dime because she was younger," he remarked with a smile. "He told me all about his days the army when I sat with him either working on cars or watching football. He's the reason I picked the army when choosing which branch of the military to enlist. And granny always had extra cookies and candy for me."

"Do you know of any regrets they had, things they wished they did differently, or monumental screw ups?"

"Not really, maybe my grandfather a little bit. He talked a lot while fixing cars."

"And I have similar memories of my grandparents. I think those are typical grandparent experiences. Maybe you need to think about why you're really doing this. Is it solely for Georgia?"

"Who else would I be doing it for?"

"For Angela," Joyce suggested. "This gives you yet another opportunity to apologize to her."

"That's not a bad thing."

"No, but that also means she'd have to relive all of those negative moments whenever she reads this with Georgia."

He sighed. "I didn't even think about that. I don't' want to cause her anymore pain. That's the last thing I want."

She rested her hand on top of his. "I'm not saying to lie about who you are and not mention any of the bad stuff, but I think things would go a lot smoother if you focused on the good instead of trying to explain the bad."

"I'll think about it." He took his notes back from Joyce and set them on the table. "Angela and Eric are engaged."

"Oh?"

"He asked her this morning." Alvin dug his phone out of his pocket to show her the picture that Angela sent him after calling at an hour that, for anyone else, he would've deemed too early and lectured them for it. She seemed unaware that Eric sent him a picture of the ring ahead of time and he didn't want to spoil it for her.

"They look happy," she remarked, a small smile on her face. "And that ring is impressive to say the least."

"According to Angela it's from Mr. Feeny's family." He recounted to Joyce what he was told about the ring's history. "He knew Eric was looking for a ring perfect enough for her and kept coming up empty. So he offered him that."

"Wow. That's quite the family heirloom to be willing to part with."

"Our granddaughter is named after the man. I'd have to assume he already considers them family."

"Do me a favor?"

"What?"

"I know ever since your diagnosis our relationship is twisted and weird and even we don't know how to categorize it, but my relationship with Angela is tenuous at best. Do not, under any circumstance, ask her if I will be invited to the wedding. I can tell you right now she won't want to see me and I don't deserve to be there. So do not even bring up my name."

He nodded but before he could say anything his phone buzzed. After a few swipes across the screen he saw that Eric sent him a video headlined, _Guess Who Thinks She's a Big Girl Now?_ "No way," he said, speaking to the images on the screen. "She's too young."

"What?"

Alvin held out his phone so she could watch with him. "Georgia is standing." He hit replay and watched again, as Georgia used Angela's arm to pull herself to her feet. Then she looked around before starting to cry, as if at a loss for what to do next. "She was just a newborn. I swear it was just yesterday I could fit her in one hand. Hell, it feels like yesterday that I could hold Angela in one hand. Now Angela is a mother and her baby is standing and will turn one in a few months." He put his phone down before crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. "It's going too fast."

"What is?"

"Life…time…take your pick. You blink and it's over. Maybe I'm more aware of it now that I'm living on borrowed time, I don't know." His phone beeped again, this time alerting him it was time to eat and take his medication. "You can go."

"Are you all right? Do you want me to order something for lunch or pick something up?"

"No, I'm fine. The medication is the one that puts me to sleep so I'm just going to heat up some leftovers and take a nap."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Joyce," he responded in a slightly patronizing tone. "In spite of what you and Trish think I'm not completely helpless."

"We don't think you're helpless. We just worry that you don't always listen to your body when you're overdoing it. You don't want to accept your limitations."

"I think swallowing a pill and pressing some buttons on the microwave is within my scope of abilities."

She rolled her eyes, but didn't take it personally. It wasn't him talking. "Okay. You'll call if you need anything?"

"Yeah."

Joyce kissed his cheek before getting up and heading for the door. She stopped just short of the doorway before turning around again. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Good-bye." Once he heard the front door close and he knew he was alone again he got up and headed for the kitchen, playing the video Eric sent him again as he went. He watched it multiple times as he ate along with all of the other Georgia videos he'd been sent recently. He hated being so far away from his daughter and granddaughter. It killed him that because of his health he needed a checkup and the okay from his doctor before he could even get on a plane to visit them. He couldn't just decide on a whim to go to Philadelphia for the weekend. He felt like a prisoner.

He smiled as the next video started and Georgia waved and blew kisses at the camera. After his nap he'd call his doctor's office to see if his next appointment could be moved up. He needed to see his girls. Hell, he even missed Eric's silly behavior and remarks. Not that he'd ever tell him that, however. No need for it to go to his head.

/

/

"Are you kidding? You actually used the word crapshoot in a marriage proposal?"

"Well, we figured it would lighten to mood since we were talking about the fragility of life and how we were all going to die one day and nothing would change that."

Cory stared and his brother and Angela, mouth agape. "What's wrong with you two?! Are you some sort of morbid, psycho, dream killers?"

"Cory!"

"No, Topanga, no! There is a right way to propose and a wrong way. And talking about death, dying, and using words like crapshoot is the wrong way." He got down on the floor and sat beside Georgia. "I'm sorry you have to hear stuff like this, munchkin. Wedding proposals are supposed to be happy, romantic occasions." He accepted the baby's toy keys that she offered him. "Thank you. Are these so we can escape your crazy parents? Good plan. But I think I should drive the getaway car. I don't know if they make phone books anymore and that's the only way you'd be able to see over the steering wheel.

"You know I offered to help your daddy plan a proposal for mama. I practically begged him to let me help. After all, who knows more about being romantic than your Uncle Cory?" He was quiet for a few seconds, pretending her jumbled babbles were her agreeing with him. "Exactly. But did he ask for help? _Nooo_."

"Bo-bo."

"I'm glad you agree, munchkin."

"Cor, Topanga proposed to you and then mom proposed to her and gave her the ring. You didn't do a damn…darn thing."

"Well, no, but I thought a lot about-"

"And then I planned your wedding. Without me you would've had a sad little ceremony in the living room. By the way, I still never got a thank you present for that."

"The thank you present was me not beating you up since we wound up in jail because you didn't plan my wedding, you stole someone else's!"

"Oh, my, God, are you ever going to let the jail thing go?"

Topanga put her head in her hands. "I swear you two bring this up every few months."

"Come on, Topanga. It was our wedding night." He put his hands over Georgia's ears before continuing in a loud whisper, "The cops pulled us right out of bed!" He removed his hands from the baby's ears when she began to fuss. "Sorry, munchkin, you don't need to hear that either."

"Cory, I came to terms with it a long time ago. It was either that or kill Eric and the little bit we saw from the inside of a jail cell was enough for me. Besides, at the end of the day we got a glamorous wedding out of it."

"You're welcome," Eric gloated.

"Don't press your luck. I'm not thanking you. I just decided a long time ago killing you wasn't worth it."

He turned to Angela. "I think I changed my mind. I don't want these mean losers anymore. They can't let anything go. Maybe we should ask Jack and Rachel instead. Or Max and Gina are our emergency backups. I can call them."

"What are you talking about," Cory asked. "What were you going to ask us?"

"First you have to promise to never bring up spending your wedding night in jail again."

"Okay, fine. Now what is it?"

"I want a real promise."

Cory rolled his eyes and held up his right hand. "Fine, I promise I won't ever bring it up again. Okay?"

"All right. Topanga?"

"Yeah, I swear, too."

He looked at Angela, not sure if she wanted to do the asking or him. "Well after we got engaged in our own morbid, psycho way…did I get that right, Cor?"

"You forgot dream killer."

"Right, well after that and talking about everything that happened to Mr. Feeny and the stuff Angela's dad is going through we realized that life is fragile, a toss-up if you will, and we don't want to think about not being around for Georgia but the smart thing to do would be to prepare now just in case." Eric jumped when he heard knocking. "What the-Cor, do you still think knocking on a piece of wood will stop something bad from happening?"

"It's better than doing nothing."

"What were you going to ask us," Topanga questioned, wanting to get things back on track.

Georgia had crawled away from her uncle and was now at her mother's feet. Angela lifted the baby up and sat her in her lap. "Well, we wanted to know if something ever happened to Eric and I…if we weren't able to be…" She still couldn't quite get the words out. "Would you raise Georgia if for some reason we couldn't?"

"Are you asking us to be her godparents?"

"Godparents, guardians, I suppose it's the same thing more or less."

"Of course we will! Right, Cory?"

"Are you kidding? We'd love it." He got up off of the floor and held his hands out to Georgia, smiling when she leaned forward to come to him. "Can you say Godfather Cory? Ew, seriously, what is with this kid and raspberries? She's going to drown me in drool."

"It's her thing."

"But think of all the fun we'll have, Georgia," Cory continued. "The townhouse has three bedrooms so you could have your own room even after we have a baby of our own. There's a park not too far from our house and the neighbor's kids are only a couple years older than you are so you'd get along well with them."

"Don't forget about the library," Topanga said. "I saw Nick pulling the kids to the library the other day in their red wagon. It was adorable."

Angela and Eric glanced at each other, confused. "Um…you do realize we're not handing her over today, right? This is supposed to be a worst case scenario. At least _we_ thought it was worst case scenario. You're acting like you just won the baby lottery."

"Don't be ridiculous. Of course we know we're not getting her today." She wasn't completely sure where Cory was going with this, but figured she would know soon. For now she'd do her best to play along. "But someday-"

"If we die-"

"If the worst happens, you won't have to worry. Georgia will be taken care of."

"Right now I'm more worried how we'd die," he said. "Maybe we should get it in writing that the police have to get alibis from them," he suggested to Angela.

"Stop being crazy. Come to dinner next week. You haven't seen the townhouse in a while. We've gotten a lot of work done on it."

"Dinner? At your house? Who's cooking?"

"Who do you think?"

She didn't typically play into Eric's occasional paranoia, but could practically read his mind. "I agree. We need food tasters before we touch a thing."

"Why are you guys being so goofy?"

"How about because you're acting like you're one step away from knocking us unconscious and writing a ransom note?" Cory started to laugh. "What is so funny?"

"We're even."

"What are you talking about? Even for what?"

" _Now_ I will never mention spending my wedding night in jail ever again."

Eric got up and promptly removed Georgia from his brother's arms. "Give her to me." He punched Cory in the arm as hard as he could.

"Hey, what-"

"You better hope I die because that's the only way you'll ever hold her again."

"Eric, come on, it was a joke."

"Georgia, what do we say to unfunny buttheads like Uncle Cory?" He was hoping for a raspberry, but instead she jabbered on in an aggressive sounding manner, almost matching his tone. "That's my girl."

* * *

 _(Meant to put this in the last chapter, but if you'd like to see what I'm picturing for Angela's engagement ring just message me and I'll send you a link. If you'd like it to be in your imagination that's cool, too. :-) )_


	15. Chapter 15

_We're skipping ahead slightly in the timeline here, about a month or so. Needed to do it to get us closer to some of the bigger upcoming stories. There's not a whole lot of Angela and Eric in this chapter. I figured it was time to catch up with some of the others._

 _Thanks so much for your feedback and endless patience during the waits between chapters. It's very much appreciated. :-)_

* * *

"Oh, crap."

Those were the first words Shawn heard upon waking up. He rolled over and pulled the sheet over his head. If history has taught him anything the best thing to do would be to stay in bed and wait for the storm to pass.

"Don't even try to pull the fake sleeping garbage with me, Shawn Patrick Hunter, because I am not in the mood."

 _Uh-oh, his full name. Serious shit was about to go down._ He lowered the sheet to just below his eyes and saw his fiancée glaring at him. "How did you know?"

"You were silent and perfectly still. I've told you that you do those weird, yipping snores and your legs move so much you may as well be riding a bicycle." She was constantly waking up with random little bruises on her legs from his over-active sleeping.

"Right, gotta remember that," he said to himself before reluctantly sitting up. "Why did you wake up angry?"

"Four weeks."

"Huh?"

"Four weeks."

"You can repeat that all you want, but I'm not going to know what you mean."

"We are getting married four weeks from today."

That woke him up a little. "I'm sorry, what did you just say?"

"I don't know how that happened. We just had months! Like…a lot of them!"

"Calm down for a second."

Naomi paced around the room. "I was looking at our to-do list and there are still a million things on it. It dwarfs our done list."

Shawn came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders, instead of relaxing, however, she only tensed up more. "What needs to be done?"

"Everything."

"Can you narrow that down a little? Tell me one thing."

"Music."

"But I thought we decided our first dance song- _Feels Like Home_ by Chantal Kreviazuk, right? Did you change your mind?"

"No, I love that song. You chose it. It's perfect. It's us. I mean the rest of the music. What do I walk down the aisle to? What do you enter the ceremony to? What do we enter the reception area to? And what about exiting the ceremony?"

"The venue doesn't pick something?"

"Please tell me you're kidding."

"All you have to say is no. No need to get sarcastic."

"No. We pick the music, _all_ the music."

"What do you want?"

She fell backwards onto the bed, her lists scattering beside her. "In all my crazy planning this part skipped my mind. I haven't even thought about it."

"I have a suggestion…if you don't mind."

"Sure. It's your wedding, too."

"I haven't had a lot of normal, traditional things in my life. You know that. It's part of the reason it took me so long to propose. I didn't think I would ever get to have normal." He lay beside her and took her hand. "I kind of like the idea of you walking down the aisle to whatever is the traditional, bride walking down the aisle song we hear at most of the weddings you drag me to."

"Shawn-"

"It's okay if you don't want to. I just…it would be a nice way to know that it's my turn now. I get to be a part of something normal and traditional and no one can ever take it away from me."

Naomi squeezed his hand and leaned her forehead against his shoulder, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. Wagner's _Bridal Chorus_ , though traditional, wasn't a song she really liked and before today never considered walking down the aisle to it at her own wedding. Shawn's reasoning for wanting it, however, far outshone any reason she had to dislike it. "I'd love that."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Can we walk out of the ceremony to Mendelssohn's _Wedding March_?"

"How do you know the name of the _Wedding March_ but not the _Bridal Chorus_? And how do you know Mendelssohn?"

"I know things." Now didn't seem to be the time to mention that Angela introduced him to classical music, along with poetry and creative writing, when they were together. They were all good friends, but he'd save that for when Nomi wasn't having a meltdown. "I like it for the same reason- it's traditional. And it's my way of kicking all of the crappy past behind me and now I get to walk towards my future with you by my side."

"You know you're sounding more like Cory the closer we get to the altar, don't you?"

"Boy, if that isn't enough ammo to make one rush for a Vegas wedding chapel with Elvis as the minister I don't know what is."

She rolled over and kissed his cheek, feeling slightly less stressed than before. "Be nice."

"What else is on your…our to-do list?" He ran his hand down her side until it was resting on her hip. "Dress rehearsal for the honeymoon," he asked hopefully. "Or undress rehearsal? It's one way I know to get you to relax."

"Swing and a miss."

"It was worth a shot." He exhaled before sitting up. "So what else needs to be done?"

"I don't suppose you have any suggestions for the seating chart for the reception, do you? The planner at the venue is breathing down my neck about that."

"We do what Ben and Ashley did at their wedding," he said, referencing friends of theirs. "We get one of those signs saying that there are no sides since we're all family. Everyone picks their damn own seat. And yes, I say we phrase it just like that- pick your own damn seat."

Imagining her mother's and grandmother's reactions to having profanities in writing at her wedding was highly amusing, but not worth the headache that would follow. "But that's taking the lazy way out."

"So? You've been putting so much stress on yourself. You made your dress and Nina's, you're making your veil or headpiece or whatever the hell you're calling it. You picked colors, table linens…although let's be honest, I've never been to a wedding…or any place with a table really…and had my experience ruined because the tablecloth was ivory or alabaster when it should've been seashell." He was almost expecting attitude for that last comment, maybe a light hit on his shoulder. Instead Naomi was gawking at him, eyes wide and jaw practically in her lap. "What?" Instead of a verbal explanation, she threw her arms around him, a move that nearly knocked him off balance and almost sent him off of the bed. "What the hell, Nomi?!" He was even more confused when she kissed him. "Okay, you're scaring me."

"Ivory, alabaster, and seashell? Are you kidding? You really remembered?"

"Is this some sort of bridal break with reality, a pre-marital meltdown? Is there a number I can call? This seems like something that should be under warranty with the venue wedding planner. My bride shouldn't break before the walk down the aisle. It's marriage that should wear you down. Not the planning." There, a marriage joke should put things back in proper cosmic order. It didn't work, however. Naomi continued to sit there, beaming at him. "You're really freaking me out right now. I think I'll go call Hana," he said, referring to her sister. "She's good with this stuff. She's a pharmacist. Maybe she can bring you a nice, big, happy pill. How does that sound," he asked in an upbeat, almost patronizing tone. "Or forget pills. We can get a tranquilizer gun and wake you up five minutes before the ceremony. Is that good for you?"

"Are you done yet?"

"That depends. Are you okay?"

"Of course I am, you weirdo!"

"How can you be calling me a weirdo right now? You're the one who just had a happy fit over ivory and alabaster and I'm terrified to ask why."

She slid closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You listen to me when I talk. That's all."

"Huh?"

"Two weeks ago I was ranting about the color choices for the tablecloths. They only sent me samples in the shades of white I flat out refused: ivory and alabaster, and forgot the one I wanted: seashell. You remembered."

"Not on purpose," he admitted. "To be honest when you get that obsessive about little things like that that don't matter it's kind of scary."

"God, I've turned into a real Bridezilla, haven't I?"

"Most of the time, no, most of the time you're a rational person. You just pick the weirdest crap to get hung up on. Like last month's meltdown over napkin rings at the reception? We don't even use napkins here at home! We grab a paper towel like the rest of the world."

"That's not good for the environment. We really should-"

"The point is: napkin rings, who gives a flying fu-"

"Shawn, I get it. Okay?"

"I just don't understand. Why napkin rings and tablecloths? Music makes a little more sense to me because there's so much of it and it's such a huge part of life, but that other stuff? Why? You don't care about that crap."

"I suppose it gave me something to focus on. We've been so worried about Mr. Feeny and I know he's doing better, but sometimes I think I have it worse than the rest of you."

"What do you mean?"

"I know everything that can go wrong. I'm a nurse. I've seen it all, good and bad. I've personally witnessed families one minute excited about improvements and getting their hopes up and then have to be the one consoling them a few hours later when things took a turn for the worst."

He could never do what Nomi did. He wasn't strong enough. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Please," she scoffed. "You couldn't bring yourself to set foot in the hospital and you can't get beyond the waiting area of the rehab facility. How could I tell you?"

"Because we're supposed to be spending the rest of our lives together. I think you owe me the chance to get over myself and my insecurities to at least listen to what's bothering you."

"You're right. I'm sorry." She wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder.

He hugged her tight in return. "It's okay. Even you're allowed to mess up now and then."

"Gee, thanks. But it's not just Mr. Feeny. It's my grandmother constantly calling with more suggestions on Japanese traditions to add to the ceremony and-"

"You've told her we're doing the San san kudo, right?"

"Countless times, doesn't stop the calls, however. She still demands measurements for your wedding kimono."

Shawn's eyebrows went up. A kimono was a bit much for someone who wasn't even wearing a tie for his own wedding. "What about the cranes? You've still got your 1001 cranes."

"I hope so. As of this morning we are at 704. We have a month left. Everyone is supposed to be pitching in but this time of year is so hectic and I don't know how they're going to get done. I mean it's doable, but we might be cutting it close." She shook her head. "That's another thing on my list- finding the time to make them."

"What if I told you that we didn't have to worry about the cranes?"

"What are you talking about? The cranes are non-negotiable. I told you from the beginning it's the one thing I really want. I'll lose sleep if I have to."

He got up from the bed and went over to the closet. After moving a few things around he returned with a box. "I know how important the cranes are to you and how nervous you were that they wouldn't get done. And I needed something to do with all the guilt I felt about not being able to get my ass up to see Mr. Feeny." He placed the box in her lap and removed the lid.

Naomi was speechless, staring out onto a multitude of origami cranes in every color imaginable. "Shawn…I can't…how did you…"

"I don't know the exact number I have, but I know it's at least 350. I stopped keeping track after that."

"But how? I tried to show you. Hana tried. You were all thumbs and kept screwing up."

"What can I say? You two just don't have the patience of your father."

She was halfway between laughing and crying. "You asked my dad to teach you?"

"Don't get me wrong, we definitely have more fun when we go fishing, but it wasn't terrible." His future father-in-law seemed proud to pass on his knowledge. "He said if I was doing it properly it would be therapeutic, almost like meditation. I thought it was bull at first, but it turns out he's right." He saw that she was crying and wiped away her tears. "This is happiness-related, right? I didn't do something wrong, did I?"

"No…no...you did everything right." Naomi stared at Shawn and all of the wedding deadlines, all health issues, and family dramas melted away. That stuff didn't matter. All that mattered was four weeks from today she was marrying the man she loved surrounded by family, friends, and 1001 paper cranes. "I'm sorry I went a little psycho on you."

"That's okay. You've put up with me and my moods for five years and are pledging to do so for the rest of your life. The least I can do is embrace whatever occasional bit of psycho you bring to the table." He frowned. "That sounded more romantic in my head."

"You're good. I still can't believe you did this for me."

"I'd do anything for you, Nomi. I love you."

"I love you, too. Could you put the box away?"

It was an odd way to finish a declaration of love, but she was still stressed. "Right. It would suck for all my hard work to go to waste and break or spill something on them." He muttered under his breath, trying to get the box back into the closet. "Come on, it just fit in here." Something soft hit the back of his head and his vision was partially obstructed by flimsy green fabric. "What the-" Shawn brought his hand to his face and was stunned to be holding Nomi's nightgown in his hand. He slowly turned around and found her now laying in their bed wearing nothing but her engagement ring and a smile- his smile, the one only he got to see. "If you were aiming for the hamper you missed."

"Funny."

"I try."

"If I remember correctly, honeymoon dress rehearsal was something to knock off of your to-do list, right?"

"Uh-huh."

"And you're still standing over there because…"

The box fell from his hands and landed at his feet. He nearly tripped over it as he made his way to the bed. "I should've learned origami years ago."

/

/

"…and it's just making me question everything I thought I knew about life and the universe and how things work. I always believed in karma- be a good person and put good out into the world and good will come back to you. That's how it's supposed to work."

"It is a nice way for people to live their lives whether or not they get a reward," Dr. Kelly remarked as she listened to Topanga. They were waiting for Cory to arrive for the session and chatting to catch up. The Matthews' had missed a few appointments lately due to the couple wanting to be in Philadelphia as much as possible.

"I'm starting to think it's all a crock." Topanga crossed her arms and stared straight ahead, a blank expression on her face. "No one has put more good out there than Mr. Feeny. He devoted his life to educating children and helping them to lead better lives. He's not just a good person. He's had a hand in creating countless good people. And what does he get for his life's work? He's in a hospital bed relearning how to walk, talk, and eat. It's not fair."

"I agree. It's not fair. In fact it sucks. But life isn't always fair and bad things do happen to good people sometimes. The best we can do is be there for each other in those times of crisis and create a bubble of good around the person in need."

She eyed the doctor cautiously. "Your parents were hippies, too?"

Dr. Kelly laughed. "No."

"I haven't felt this betrayed by life since my parents' divorce."

"Have you talked about your feelings with Cory?"

"A little bit, but he owns the out of control, panic card in the relationship. He always has. But he feels the exact same way I do. Heck, he's even phrased it the same way."

"And what do you say to him?"

"The same crap you just fed me- life isn't fair. That's how our relationship works. He freaks out and I be the grown up and talk him off the ledge."

"You know there's room on that ledge for both of us."

Topanga turned around and saw Cory standing by the door. "So we should both take the plunge into fear and worry?"

"It's better than burying those feelings aside." He walked further into the room and sat beside his wife on the couch. "I know I can get overdramatic sometimes…okay all the time," he added at her look of disbelief, "but that's because I'd rather get out what I'm feeling and be honest about it. No good comes from keeping things bottled up. The one time I bottled things up it nearly ruined us."

"That wasn't all you."

"I know, but being more vocal would've helped."

"I hate feeling helpless and that's all I feel when I think about Mr. Feeny right now. There are certain things I've always been able to depend on in my life and Mr. Feeny is one of those things. The sky is blue, the grass is green, and Mr. Feeny will always be Mr. Feeny."

"It's the same for me."

"You probably feel worse than I do because you grew up next to him!"

"It's not a competition, honey. We're all worried, but he's a lot better."

"How is he doing," Dr. Kelly questioned.

"He's improving every day. He was moved into the rehab facility almost two weeks ago for all the physical therapy stuff. His speech though…that's not going so well."

"Granted, I may not have experience with stroke patients, but all of those mechanics take time to relearn. It sounds like he's doing remarkably well."

"I know, that's what the doctors say. I still feel bad for him. He spent his life getting up there and talking to students and now he can barely string three basic words together," Cory lamented. "To be honest right now he kind of reminds me of Georgia."

"How so?"

"His brain knows what it wants to do but it's getting his body to cooperate that's the issue. Like here, watch this." He took out his phone and handed it to the therapist. "Eric sent me this video of Georgia this morning. He's asking her questions and it seems like she's responding. She's got the sounds down. And when he repeats a question the exact same babbles come out of her mouth with emphasis on the same…well, not words, but in the same places. Her brain knows the words, but the rest of her hasn't caught up yet."

She smiled. It was hard to believe when he first stepped foot into her office Cory acted as though he resented his niece's existence. Now, however, it seemed little Georgia had no bigger fan than her Uncle Cory. "She is adorable."

"Adorable? The kid's a genius! Which, to be honest, considering Eric's her father it could've gone either way. Score one for Angela's genes."

"Cory," Topanga exclaimed, hitting his arm. "Be nice. There's nothing wrong with Eric."

"Sure, maybe not now. Maybe not when we were kids, but there were a few years there…tell me, Dr. Kelly, do you do that regressive therapy where you can figure out what was going on with someone in the past? Because when he was in college my brother was off the charts crazy. I mean sure it was fun crazy most of the time, but he still scared people."

He wasn't wrong, but that's not why they were here. "Cory, stop."

"What? Like you weren't curious about what was going on in his head? I kinda want to know." His expression changed suddenly, becoming more serious. "Then again maybe I don't. Inside Eric's brain could be the scariest place on earth. Plus, oh, no, what if taking him back there caused some sort of systemic reset and he reverted back to that crazy place permanently? That would be bad."

"You're acting a little crazy yourself at the moment so I wouldn't keep talking."

"Don't call me crazy in front of the head shrink! What if she believes you?"

"It's okay, Topanga. It's not uncommon for people to seek out a distraction during times like this. For some reason, this is what Cory is latching onto."

"That I can understand, but this? Shawn's wedding is less than a month away. I figured he would obsess with that."

"I can't obsess over that because they won't let me do the seating chart!"

Topanga stared up at the ceiling and muttered, "I'm being punished for something, clearly. I did something bad in a previous life." She took a deep breath before turning her attention back to her husband. "Cory, your mom and Naomi's mom are handling the seating. They are the best, most rational people to handle that."

"I'm not rational?"

"Shawn and Naomi offered to let you pick some music. But you-"

"There was nothing wrong with my choices."

"You said they should enter the reception to _Welcome to the Jungle_."

"What's wrong with it? It's a fun song that everyone knows. Besides, I gave them alternate suggestions."

"Yeah, _That's Amore_ and _MMMBop_."

"Again, fun songs that people know!"

" _MMMBop_ , Cory! _MMMBop_!"

"Don't act like you didn't have the CD in high school." He leaned in close and whispered loudly to the doctor, "She had the CD."

/

/

"Daddy, what's mommy's favorite color?"

"Pink," Jack answered Nina as he continued to wipe down Milo. Mother's day was almost here and he decided to take advantage of the rainy afternoon and have the kids make cards and pictures for Rachel. It was going fine until Milo decided the finger paints didn't just belong on the paper. "She loves pink but doesn't wear it a lot because she hates how it looks with her hair."

"That's silly."

"I know. Where's Evan? He's supposed to be making something for mom, too."

"I dunno. Daddy, look! Now I'm Rudolph like the Christmas song."

He looked up and saw that she had placed a glob of red finger paint on the tip of her nose. "Don't put finger paint on your face."

"But I'm being Christmassy."

"Nina, it's May, not December. It's not time for Christmassy. It's time for Mother's day."

"I can paint my face in Dismember?"

"Wha-no, _December_. The month is December, not dismember." He shook his head. Kids said weird, creepy things sometimes. "Where's Evan?"

"I said I dunno."

"Evan," Jack called out. A few second later the boy appeared, beloved Gameboy clutched in his hands. "I thought you were going to make something for mom for Mother's day."

"No."

"No? Mother's day is Sunday."

"I know."

There was a hint of attitude in his voice, something Jack wasn't used to. "Come on, we're all doing a little something. Just sit down and make a card. I'll even make one with you. This way she has stuff from the whole family." He struggled to keep ahold on Milo, who was reaching for the finger paints again. "Milo, knock it off."

"I don't want to."

Evan's teacher, knowing the complicated circumstances of the boy's family life, emailed Jack today to tell him that he'd opted not to make anything for Rachel during art class either. "Why not?"

"Because it's dumb. It's baby work."

"Okay, so what do you want to do that's not baby work? I think we have enough popsicle sticks if you wanted to make something out of them."

"I don't want to make Rachel anything."

It had been a while since he'd used their names. Lately they'd just been mom and dad. It was jarring to hear him revert back. "I think that's too bad. Rachel loves you and has done a lot for you and your brothers and sister. It's a shame that you can't show her a little appreciation for everything she does for our family." He stared at Evan, hoping his words would have an impact, but a blank expression remained on his face. "Are you going to make a card?"

"No."

"Then go to your room."

"Fine."

"Leave the Gameboy here," Jack said at the last minute.

"But-"

"When you're ready to take part in the family activity you can have it back."

"Whatever." He tossed it on the table before walking away.

Jack wasn't convinced he'd handled that the right way, but before he could put real thought into it Milo succeeded in getting his hands on a container of blue finger paint and spilled it all over the table. "Milo, damn-darn it…"

"Bad word, daddy."

He sighed. "Thank you, Nina."

/

/

"Is this sweet or creepy?" Eric just picked up part of his Mother's day present for Angela and was showing it off at work. "At first I was thinking sweet, but now I'm leaning towards creepy, right?"

"A little," Max agreed. "Why didn't you just do hand or footprints on pieces of paper or flowerpots or towels like the rest of the world?"

"Angela said once that she regretted not getting a cast done of her belly when she was ginormously pregnant. So I thought it would be sweet to get her something to make a cast of Georgia's hand or foot. Or maybe Georgia holding her hand so she could remember how small the baby was her first Mother's day." He stared at the gift now in his hands. "Of course now I'm just a weirdo who's going to display random body parts in his house. I feel like Hannibal Lecter."

"I can see that."

"You're not helping me. What did you get Gina?"

"The kids' preschool sent them home with the painted flower pots with their handprints on them and a cheesy poem inside. And I'm getting her this purse I know she really wants. She's been sending me links to the damn thing since March."

"So no surprise gift?"

"Not this year. That purse is not cheap. In fact she gave me permission to combine both her birthday and Mother's day gift into one with the purse. But I'm going to take the kids to the store and let them pick out one or two little things. Knowing my kids that means her purse will be full of Hot Wheels, glitter pencils, and stickers."

"Cute."

"What about you? What else did you get Angela?"

"I got whatever I could find to help her relax. You know how Georgia's been such a whining, teething diva lately."

"All babies are at that age."

"Right, well I still want to help her relax. I got her a gift card for a massage and to get her nails done. It's silly to me, but sometimes having her nails done can make all the difference in her mood." He shrugged. "I also bought the softest robe I could find, bubble bath, and this tray for the Jacuzzi where she can put magazines or food or coffee and wine…whatever she wants."

"Sounds good to me."

"I don't know. It still feels like something is missing."

"Nope, you did good. In fact you probably did too much. You don't want to set the bar too high the first year. Then you have to constantly live up to that."

"Angela takes care of Georgia all day, every day. She deserves whatever she wants."

"Do you know what most moms want?"

"What?"

"Sleep, sleep, and more sleep. If they want anything else it's stuff that will help them sleep."

"That's why all my gifts will help her relax."

"Yeah, and then she'll fall asleep and dream about being chased by Georgia's hand." He took the cast kit and put it in Eric's face.

"Shut up."

/

/

"Aah, daddy, that's cold!"

"Next time listen when I tell you not to get the paint all over." Jack turned the hose back on Milo, who was still a variety of colors from the finger paints. They were faded, but they were there.

"Wow, what happened here," Rachel called out as she exited the garage. Coming home to the kids in the backyard in their bathing suits when she got home from work wasn't uncommon. It was May in Texas after all. But usually they were in their kiddie pool or running through the sprinklers. Jack wasn't spraying the hose on them. "And why is Milo…every color ever created?"

"We make you presents for your day, mommy," Nina said, jumping up and down.

She feigned shock. "You did?"

"Uh-huh. I make you a present at school then I come home and make one. So I make you two."

"Wow, I'm going to be so spoiled on Sunday."

"And Milo make one, too, and daddy help Calum make one 'cause he's just a baby."

"I'm sure I will love all my presents."

"Evan did not make you one," Nina continued. "Daddy told him to go to his room and took the Gameboy."

"Nina, let us handle-"

She turned around and looked at her husband. "You what?"

"It's not a big deal. Don't worry about it. I'll get him to make you something before Sunday."

"I don't want you to force him into it. Why did you-" She stopped, remembering that Nina and Milo were standing right there. "Nina, honey, can you do me a favor?"

"What?"

"Can you take Milo over there and help him practice rolling the ball back and forth."

"Are you and daddy gonna fight?"

"No, we're not going to fight. Why do you think that?"

"'Cause that's the only time you want me to go away."

Kids were too observant. "We're not fighting. We're going to discuss something."

"Come on, Milo." She grabbed his hand and yanked him in the direction she wanted him to go. "No, this way."

"Nina, let him walk. Don't pull him. We don't need you to dislocate his shoulder."

"What does that mean? Dis-dislo-what was the word again?"

"Just go play, all right?"

Once the kids were a safe distance away Rachel took a seat on the back steps and Jack followed suit. "You didn't actually punish Evan because he doesn't want to make a Mother's day gift, did you?"

"Well, I don't know if I'd call it a punishment, but-"

"Jack, no. You can't do that."

"You don't want him to make you something?"

"Of course I do, but not because he was strong-armed into it. I want it to come from his heart."

"I don't see why he doesn't want to make you one. You're a great mom."

"Something tells me that this aversion to Mother's day has very little to do with me, or at least it's not just me."

"Then who? Kara?"

"It's always going to be her. It doesn't matter how old he gets or how long it will be since she's had custody or even seen the kids. She was their mother first and gave them a warped view on who a mother is supposed to be."

"Then I'd think he would want to celebrate you even more."

"As strange as it sounds he might feel like getting me something is a betrayal to her."

"After everything she did," he scoffed. "Are you kidding?"

"No matter what Kara did she is still his mother. It's always going to be complicated for him; Mother's day, Father's day, Thanksgiving, Christmas…all the holidays. You have to think of him like Shawn when it comes to this stuff. Except be even more sensitive to it because he's still a child."

"So taking the Gameboy and isolating him from the rest of the family by sending him to his room was the worst possible call I could make. Way to go, Jack," he muttered before he leaned back and rested his head on the stairs. "I just didn't see why he wouldn't want to make you something. You're great. Between Mother's day and adoption day coming next week I figured for once he'd want to pull a Nina and go big with a gift."

She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "That's sweet, but he's never going to be as outgoing as Nina. You know the adoption is probably part of it, too."

"How do you mean?"

"I've worked in the system for a long time and I've seen kids like Evan. Trust me. Right now he's not thinking that's there's only one week left until he's officially adopted. In his mind there's still a week left for something to go wrong and for it to all fall apart."

"Even after everything we've been through?"

"I'm afraid so. I know it feels like longer, but we've only had them for sixteen months. That's not a lot of time. Frankly, it's a miracle they're as comfortable with us as they are all things considered. Issues are going to keep coming up. We just have to be patient when they do."

"I wasn't very patient today," he said with a sigh.

"Don't be too hard on yourself. It's a learning process for all of us. You're good dad."

"Can you remember that when you see the mess in the kitchen?"

She smiled. "Sure. How about you get those two dry and start to clean the kitchen and I'll talk to Evan and then I'll run out and pick something up for dinner?"

"Are you sure I shouldn't be the one talking to him?"

"You can later, but I want to first. Is that okay?"

"If you think that's best. Oh," he called out right before she reached the door. "I put the Gameboy in the cabinet above the fridge. Even I need the step ladder for that one so I knew he wouldn't be able to sneak it."

/

"Evan," Rachel called out as she knocked on the door. "Can I come in?" She waited several seconds before knocking again. "Evan?" There was no response. "I'm going to knock one more time and if you don't answer I'm coming in to make sure you're okay." Seconds later the door opened just enough for her to see him. "Hi." His eyes were puffy, as if he'd been crying.

"Hi."

"Can I come in?"

"You're going to anyway so I don't know why you're asking."

"If you don't want me to come in then I won't. I just wanted to give you back your Gameboy," she said, holding it out to him.

"Really?"

"Really."

"You're not going to yell at me or try to make me feel bad?" He took his game back before walking away to sit on his bed.

She pushed the door open a little more and came into the room. "Why would I want to make you feel bad?"

"Because I didn't make you anything for Mother's day and everybody else did."

"Evan, I don't care about Mother's day presents."

"You don't?"

"No. Don't get me wrong, presents are nice, but they aren't the most important thing to me. What's important is spending time with you kids and Jack. That's what matters. It's okay if you can't make me a present. Just like it's okay if Nina wants to make me one. It won't change how much I love you guys."

"I don't like making presents for anybody because they are a waste. Nobody needs it and you just throw it away."

Rachel frowned. That was an odd way for a kid to phrase something. He had to be repeating someone. "Where did you hear that?"

"I don't know."

"Did Kara say that to you when you made her a present?"

"I don't remember if it was her or someone at one of the other houses we stayed at before you and dad."

"Whoever told you that is wrong. It's never a bad thing to make something to show someone that you love them. And I promise you that person would cherish the gift and keep it, not throw it away."

"You would keep it?"

She took a seat beside him on the bed. "Yes, I would. But it's okay if still don't want to make me something," she added at his silence.

"Maybe not this year."

"Okay."

"Can I buy you something? I have some money from my allowance and grammy gave us money for Easter even though I don't understand why."

She chuckled and ran her hand through his hair. "She likes to spoil you. But that's okay. I don't need an expensive present that will take up all of your money."

"But what about if we just get candy or dessert?"

"You want to buy me dessert?" Rachel wasn't sure how his brain made this leap, but she was going with it.

"Yeah, but just us…nobody else."

That did sound nice. "Tell you what, I told dad if he cleaned up the mess in the kitchen that I would pick up dinner. How about you come with me and we can get a milkshake or an ice cream cone before we pick it up?"

"Dessert before dinner?"

"Yes, before dinner." She smiled at the way his eyes lit up. "What do you say?"

"Can we go to a real ice cream place and sit inside and not get something at the drive thru we have to eat in the car?"

It would be more expensive, but it seemed so important to him. "Sure."

"And it's okay that we're going Friday and not Sunday?"

"I think so. You're kind of giving me an early Mother's day, almost a second day to celebrate."

"Then maybe we can do this every year."

"Really?"

"Yeah, this way you always get two Mother's days."

Rachel fought back tears that threatened to cloud her vision. "I think that would be a very nice tradition to start."

/

/

"Come on, Georgia, work with me." Eric got down on the floor and sat in front of the baby. "What should we make mama for breakfast: pancakes, waffles, or French toast? Or she does love omelets. And don't even try to say that you can't work a spatula yet. You were trying to crawl at four months and mastered it by five. You figured out standing a few weeks ago, but since then…nothing! No reason you can't try cooking. You're almost nine months old, young lady. You are starting to slack off a little with the milestones." She let loose a string of babbles. "Oh, yeah, well give me some help here. Mama's waking up soon. We let her sleep late because it's Mother's day and she needs a break from you and your demanding ways. Honestly, Georgia, I don't know where you get it." He'd swear she just gave him the side eye, but it happened so fast. "Let's hurry up and decide." Georgia crawled over to him, grabbed onto his arm, and used it to pull herself to her feet. She was wobbly and holding on as tight as she could manage. "Now what, smart butt?" He caught her when she tumbled forward. "Whoops, you okay?" Eric held her up and looked her over. "Yeah, you're good. That was a good catch though, right? I know!

"Daddy's always going to catch you, so don't worry about that. I won't let you fall." Her next jabbers had a whiny tone to them, a sign she was getting sleepy. He looked at the clock and saw that naptime wasn't far off. "Let's go see if mama's awake, huh? Yeah, let's see if she's awake and we can give her our presents and then you can take a nap and daddy can make her breakfast. Well, at this point it will be brunch, but who cares? Mama deserves her sleep." Her tiny hands were now patting his face- another sign she was sleepy. She loved to pat his stubble when she was tired. It was weird but she'd been doing it since she was a newborn. "Come on, we can decide breakfast on our way up the stairs."

When they reached the bedroom Angela was vacating the bathroom. "Hey, you're awake. I was getting worried that you were going to sleep through your whole day."

"There are worse ways to spend a day. But thanks, I really needed that."

"You're welcome. Now get back into bed. It's present time."

"Presents? You didn't go overboard, did you," she asked as she reluctantly climbed back into bed. "Because sleep would've been enough."

"I think I went just board enough, not over or under."

"What?"

He shook his head. "Never mind. We'll do the present that has to do with Georgia first because she is getting to be Miss Cranky Pants since it's almost naptime." He went over to the dresser and took a box out of his top drawer. "I wasn't sure what to do with it so that's why it's not wrapped."

"What do you mean, _'what to do with it?'_ " She studied the box. "Plaster?"

"Yeah. First I was going to make a mold of Georgia's hand and foot, but then I remembered you saying how you wished you would've made a cast of your belly when you were pregnant so I thought that you'd want to have a cast made of you and Georgia. Maybe she can be holding your finger like the baby on the back of the box."

Angela turned the box over and studied the image he was referring to. The idea of having a moment with Georgia frozen in time was almost enough to bring tears to her eyes. "This is perfect. I love it. Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Would you mind if I waited a little bit before using it?"

"It's your gift. You can use it whenever you want."

"I just thought it might be a great way to commemorate her first birthday."

"That sounds pretty cool to me. What do you think, Georgia?" She continued to squirm and fuss in his arms. "She agrees, she's just in diva mode right now."

"Hey, Little Miss. No crankiness today. It's mama's day. Yeah, it's mama's day. Be crabby on your own time."

" _Ma-ma_."

Angela froze. Did she really just hear that? Did she imagine it? "Did you hear…did she just say…did she?"

"I think she did."

"Georgia, Georgia, hi," she called out softly, smiling at her daughter as she grabbed onto her foot. "Did you say mama? Can you say mama? Mama. Say mama."

" _Ma-ma_. _Ma-ma, ma-ma, ma-ma, ma-ma_."

"That's my girl!" She held out her hands and the baby practically flung herself out of Eric's arms to get to her. "Oh, you did say mama." Angela held her close and rocked back and forth, not even bothering to stop her happy tears. "It's so funny. I used to think the best thing I ever heard was her first cries. Then it was her first laugh. But now…" She shook her head. "This is the best."

Eric grinned and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Man, I could give you the damn Hope Diamond and not compete with this, huh?"

"Sorry."

"That's okay. I can deal with being overshadowed by her. I'd like to say we planned it, but that would be a lie." He ran his hand along the baby's back. "Way to set the bar high, Georgia."

"I wonder if she'll say anything else." She turned the baby around so she was facing out. "Georgia, who's that?" She pointed at Eric. "Can you say dada? Da-da."

" _Ma-ma_."

"No, dada."

" _Ma-ma_."

"Sorry," Angela said, though she was not. She finally got one of Georgia's firsts. Eric had her first smile and her dad the first laugh. It was mama's turn.

"That's okay. Father's day is a month away. You've got time to plan something big."

"How big?"

"I'm thinking first steps. Ooh, no, I got it. Have her run to me _while_ saying dada."

She laughed. "Yeah, we'll see what we can do. Right, Georgia?"

" _Ma-ma_."

"Okay, kid, it's going to be less special if you say it for everything." Just then Thor jumped up on the bed and moved back and forth between his humans. "Let's try a little experiment," Angela said. "Georgia, who's that? Is that Thor? Can you say Thor? Thor."

" _Door_."

"Seriously," Eric exclaimed. "You say Thor but not 'dada'?" He didn't know whether to laugh or be hurt.

"Eric-"

"No, she's just screwing with me now."

"She's nine months old."

"She's crafty. Look at that smirk. She knows what she's doing."

Angela scooted closer to him and laid her hand on his chest. "Georgia, who is this? It's da-da. Say da-da." The baby tilted her head to the side and appeared to be giving it some thought. "Da-da," Angela whispered again. "You can do it. Da-da."

" _Door_."

Eric pouted. "Now you're just rubbing it in."

" _Ma-ma_."

"Smart ass."

"Eric!"

"Running to me and saying da-da by Father's day," he reminded her. It was difficult to not take this personally.

She nodded. "I'll do my best."

* * *

 _Georgia saying mama was inspired by a friend's kid, who also said mama and the cats' names the same day but wouldn't say dada until later. It drove my friend's husband nuts, too, lol._


End file.
